Swedish truck giant Scania has taken a big step forward into the realisation of autonomous transport by opening up for orders of the company’s self-driving mining solutions. Scania said it is now possible to place orders for its 40-tonne autonomous heavy tipper for mining, with the 50-tonne model to follow shortly afterwards.
As a first step, Scania 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 the Swedish brand has a significant market presence in the mining segment, said the manufacturer in a statement.
“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,” said Peter Hafmar, Vice President and Head of Autonomous Solutions at Scania.
Advantages over traditional haulers
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’s 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. The company said that by utilising its new 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.
Scania makes fleet electrification easier
“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,” said Hafmar.
Scania said that over the past 10 years, it 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.
The company said its autonomous tipper truck has been developed in close cooperation between its 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 said.