JOHANNESBURG: Mining giant Anglo American on Friday unveiled the world’s largest hydrogen-powered truck, a monster weighing in at 220 tonnes, at a platinum mine in northern South Africa.

Billed as the first of a fleet that will replace the firm’s diesel-powered trucks, the vehicle uses two-megawatt hydrogen fuel cells to haul up to 290 tonnes of ore.

“What we are launching is not merely an impressive piece of machinery, it is the genesis of an entire ecosystem powered by hydrogen,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said.

Comparable in size to a small house, the behemoth was shown off at Mogalakwena mine, 250 kilometres from Johannesburg.

“This is a gigantic leap for South Africa’s hydrogen future economy,” Ramaphosa declared.

“This has really been a historic moment. It gives us a clear vision of what the future looks like.”

Published in Dawn,May 7th, 2022