Scania says it has started sales of autonomous mining trucks, “opening up for safer, more efficient and more sustainable mining operations.” The realisation of autonomous transport it says is taking a big step forward as Scania has opened up for orders of the company’s self-driving mining solutions. It is now possible to place orders for Scania’s 40 t autonomous heavy tipper for mining, with the 50 t model to follow shortly afterwards.
As a first step, Scania says it will start sales of its autonomous mining solutions in Australia, with first deliveries and start of operation scheduled from 2026. The next market in line will most likely be Latin America, a region where Scania has a significant market presence in the mining segment.
“The transition from research and development to the launch of a commercial product is a major milestone for us and for autonomous heavy transport in general. This is the most advanced product Scania has put on the market so far,” says Peter Hafmar, Vice President and Head of Autonomous Solutions at Scania.
Mines have long been seen as one of the most promising environments for autonomous vehicles, as they can contribute to safer working conditions and more efficient operations. Scania says its mining solutions with smaller, civil-class trucks also have overall potential advantages over the industry’s traditional heavy haulage trucks, both in terms of emissions and productivity. By utilising Scania’s autonomous mining trucks, the overall mining footprint including energy and infrastructure requirements can be reduced, meaning that capital and operating expenses may also be reduced at suitable sites.
Scania’s autonomous trucks can also be smoothly fitted into an existing operations set-up in a mine, thanks to their interoperability with other systems and vehicles.
“Another benefit with our solution is that it allows mining companies to more quickly take the next step towards zero-emission operations. It’s easier to electrify operations with Scania’s autonomous trucks compared with traditional heavy haulage trucks,” says Hafmar.
Over the past ten years, Scania has invested heavily in the development of self-driving vehicles. Innovations include applications for hub-to-hub transport on highways as well as autonomous vehicles for confined areas such as mines. Scania’s autonomous tipper truck has been developed in close cooperation between Scania’s R&D department and customers in the mining industry, with extensive testing in the harshest real-life conditions.
“It’s probably the most ambitious research and development project we have done so far together with a customer, and I am very pleased about the result. Thanks to all the rigorous checks and numerous on-site tests we have been able to develop an optimal autonomous transport solution for mines,” Hafmar concludes.
Specifically, Scania has tested and trialled the trucks extensively in Australia with Rio Tinto including initially at Dampier Salt and latterly at the Channar iron ore operation. Scania also has a delegation this week at The Electric Mine 2024 conference at Crown Perth.
