The domestic automotive industry does not stand still, trying not to retreat from foreign companies in terms of the quantity and quality of new developments. And the KAMAZ concern is no exception in this respect. And not so long ago, the famous Russian truck company presented a prototype of a new dump truck of truly gigantic dimensions, which is already considered a worthy competitor to Caterpillar, BelAZ and Volvo.
In fairness, it should be said that rumors about this dump truck have been circulating around the world wide web for a long time. However, there was no official confirmation from KAMAZ representatives about this new concept for a long time - the concern preferred to keep the details of the project secret.
However, a few months ago, the production in Naberezhnye Chelny was visited by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, who, in particular, was shown a prototype of a new dump truck under the working name "Hercules 40". And it was from this event that the first photos of the new dump truck appeared on the Web, albeit in an incomplete form - without a cab and a dump body.
Until that moment, the design features of the new truck and its technical characteristics were kept secret. And just recently, not only the image of the fully assembled KAMAZ "Hercules" was published, but also the data on the car itself, which by its purpose turned out to be a mining dump truck, appeared in the public domain.
For example, it became known that the new truck has a 6 × 6 chassis, as well as an articulated frame, which will increase the maneuverability and cross-country ability of the model. The gigantic dump truck will be driven by a sequential hybrid power plant, which means that the diesel engine is not directly connected to the wheels, but will turn the generator. The latter, in turn, charges the battery, and it already feeds the traction motor-wheels. The engine for the car was a KAMAZ P6 engine with a capacity of 450 hp, and the nominal output of each electric motor is 517 hp.
A number of other technical characteristics of KAMAZ "Hercules" are also known. So, its carrying capacity is 40 tons, and its weight is 75 tons. The ground clearance of the car is declared at 617 mm. The length of the dump truck is 11 meters 39 centimeters, and the width is 3 meters 60 centimeters, while the height is 4 meters and 30 centimeters. In addition, there is information about the plans of KAMAZ to design another modification of the "Hercules", but lighter - on a 4x4 chassis, the carrying capacity of which will be 25 tons.
However, the company does not intend to stop at two models of "Hercules" either. According to Novate.ru, a few months ago, KAMAZ representatives announced plans to develop a full-fledged family of mining dump trucks, the carrying capacity of which will vary from 30 to 220 tons.
This global project has already received a working title - "Jupiter", and government funding, and the first prototype of the heaviest truck is expected to be made in 2023. At the same time, they are going to establish and mass production of the already assembled "Hercules".
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