A gradual transition, which began with initial tests in 2020 with seven machines, led Codelco División El Teniente to replace its fleet of diesel buses for transporting workers on site with 100% electric vehicles.

Today, the fleet consists of 104 electric buses manufactured by the Chilean company Reborn Electric Motors, which take workers from the surface to the interior of the mine, deep in the mountains in the O'Higgins region. In addition, there are five other buses that transport people from the upper area to Rancagua.

“We had a significant learning curve during the first six months of
“The buses are in operation and, to date, have shown good performance in terms of autonomy and reliability,” says José Miguel Carvajal, Superintendent of Mobilization and Transportation at Codelco División El Teniente. “In addition, they are more comfortable buses; users have noted that they feel more comfortable with these vehicles.”

The entire fleet allowed a reduction of 2,800 tons of CO2 emissions per year and a saving of 1,100,000 liters of fuel per year.

“Replacing a passenger transport fleet that operates on diesel at 100%
electric, allows to reduce direct emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases
“greenhouse gas,” says Ricardo Repenning, co-founder and CTO of Reborn Electric Motors. “It also reduces maintenance and spare parts costs, increases passenger comfort by eliminating noise from the internal combustion engine, and replaces fuel costs with electric power at a quarter of the cost per kilometer traveled.”

The fleet

Codelco El Teniente Division gradually implemented electric vehicles in its operations for the transportation of workers.

Of the 104 buses manufactured locally by Reborn Electric Motors, 72 are the “Queltehue” model, taxibuses with capacity for 24 passengers, a range of 200 kilometers and a charge in just 45 minutes. The other 32, called “Tricahue”, can transport up to 44 people, with a range of 200 kilometers and a charge in 90 minutes.

“The need to incorporate these vehicles in El Teniente allowed us to accelerate local technological development, in order to reach a sustainable solution for the tough operation of the underground mine. This meant the rapid implementation of the current Reborn Electric Motors factory in Rancagua,” says Repenning.

Commitment to sustainability

The replacement of the bus fleet is part of Codelco's commitments
The company has taken on sustainability goals by 2030, establishing specific goals in six areas: reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 70%; reducing unit consumption of continental water by 60%; recycling 65% of industrial waste; ensuring world-class sustainability and safety measures for 100% of its tailings deposits; increasing the goods and services supplied by local suppliers by 60%, along with increasing the local workforce; and reducing respirable particulate matter (PM10) emissions by 25%.