14 DAY TRIAL // A truck now operating at a Siberian mine in Russia's Kuzbass region is nothing short of an engineering wonder. No, seriously, this baby is by far one of the most impressive vehicles ever to come out of a factory anywhere in the world.
The mining truck, photos of which are available below, measures over 20 meters (65 feet) in length, stands 8 meters (26 feet) tall, and has a width of nearly 10 meters (33 feet).
When empty, it tips the scale at a whopping 360 tons, Green Car Congress reports. What's interesting is that, despite its weight, it can reach a maximum speed of 64 kilometers per hour (about 40 miles per hour).
It is understood that the truck's freakishly powerful all-wheel drive system is kept operational by as many as four electric traction motors manufactured by technology giant Siemens.
The motors, each of which can cough out 1,200 kilowatts of power, get the electricity they need to keep up and running from two generators. In turn, the generators are each nurtured by a 16-cylinder diesel engine whose power output is one of about 1,700 kilowatts.
Courtesy of its impressive size and amazing power, the truck can carry as much as 450 tons of cargo at a time. Needless to say, having it around makes mining operations in Siberia way easier than they would otherwise be.
The vehicle, known as the GVWR BelAZ 75710 mining truck, is said to be the absolute largest of its kind to have until now been manufactured and put to work anywhere in the world.
By comparison, the world's second largest truck, the Caterpillar 797F, can only carry 400 tons of cargo at a time and reach a maximum speed of 68 kilometers per hour (42 miles per hour) when empty.
