First Mode

First Mode is a multinational decarbonization company that designs, manufactures, and distributes alternative fuel and battery engines for heavy duty vehicles, along with hydrogen refueling equipment. The company has operations in Africa, Australia, Europe, North America and South America.

It won Fast Company’s 2023 World Changing Ideas awards for the creation of the world's largest hybrid powerplant.

History
First Mode was founded on March 14, 2018 in the Seattle, Washington area by 11 former members of asteroid mining company Planetary Resources.

First Mode partnered with mining corporation Anglo American plc in 2019, signing a three-year agreement to develop a diesel alternative for the company's fleet of mining haul trucks.

On May 6, 2022, First Mode and Anglo American debuted the world's first and largest hydrogen-powered mine haul truck at the Mogalakwena platinum mine in South Africa with a converted Komatsu 930E Haulpak truck. It successfully completed operational trials in May 2023.

In January 2023, First Mode and Anglo American announced the signing of a $200 million binding agreement to combine First Mode with the Anglo American nuGen team, thereby making Anglo American the majority shareholder. The two companies also signed a supply agreement for First Mode to provide Anglo American with several additional hybrid powerplant retrofit kits for mining haul trucks. These are slated to be demonstrated on Komatsu 930E and 830E platforms in early 2024.