Alongside an announcement focusing on the introduction of an electric modular platform for its Toro™ underground loaders and trucks at MINExpo INTERNATIONAL® 2024, Sandvik has also presented a trolley module for a BEV truck in Las Vegas.
Trolley-electric trucks are expected to be used in large truck applications where the traffic flow is predictable, ramps are long and fleets are big, Sandvik says.
The company said a timeline for commercial availability of the trolley module was “pending customer interest towards testing and adopting the technology”.
The modular Toro platform approach for loaders and trucks, meanwhile, is expected to meet the diverse needs arising from the ongoing electric transition across Sandvik’s global customer base, the OEM says.
Sandvik aims to increase customer productivity, improve safety and support environmental sustainability while keeping ore moving efficiently with this platform approach. The vast range of customer needs requires agility and a multitude of co-existing technologies, as individual mines are adopting new technologies at varying paces, it said.
The backbone of the platform is the electric driveline. Built around it, the modular approach will cover all key machine elements starting from high-level architecture and continuing to the detailed module designs. Practical examples of modules include operator environment, critical steel structures and hydraulic systems, among others. Sandvik’s own BEV battery modules and charging stations complete the ecosystem.
Building on the electric platform, Sandvik expects its near-term load and haul offering to feature diesel-electrics, hybrids, battery-electrics, trolley modules and cable-electric solutions. While new innovations are developed, also current conventional diesel technologies will be further developed.
