The companies have signed an order for an additional 30 units for diesel-free mining trucks.

Ballard Power Systems and First Mode have announced that a purchase order has been made in which Ballard will be supplying First Mode with 30 modules of hydrogen fuel cells.

The units will total 3 megawatts and will be used to power a number of hybrid H2 and battery ultra-class vehicles.

The hydrogen fuel cells will provide the mining haul trucks with the equivalent to about 4,000 horsepower.

“Every one of the Ballard fuel cell modules that First Mode retrofits into an ultra-class haul truck means an immediate reduction in diesel fuel use and moving the mining industry another step closer to decarbonization,” said First Mode CEO Julian Soles. “We’re excited to continue to innovate with Ballard. Utilizing hydrogen and battery technology in our nuGen™ systems allows our customers to achieve the best haul truck performance and range without sacrificing availability.”

The 30 H2 modules will be built into clean energy powerplants manufactured in Seattle Washington. They will be installed into ultra-class haul trucks which will be operated in Centralia, Washington at First Mode’s Proving Grounds.

With the hydrogen fuel cells, the trucks will save an estimated 2,600 tons of diesel use per year.

“We are excited to expand our important collaboration with First Mode,” said Ballard Chief Commercial Officer David Mucciacciaro.

“The mining industry annually contributes up to 7% of the world’s carbon emissions and roughly half of these emissions comes from mobile diesel applications, including haul trucks. Together with First Mode, we are continuing to demonstrate a viable pathway to decarbonize mining trucks by using Ballard’s leading hydrogen fuel cells,” Mucciacciaro went on to say. “These additional truck deployments highlight the opportunities ahead for fuel cell commercialization in hard-to-abate sectors.”