The two companies have established a long-term research and development (R&D) agreement for the continuous advancement of this autonomous technology. The partnership also includes options for the future transition to electric-powered vehicles.
Both companies launched trials on Scania’s 40-tonne-payload autonomous mining trucks in April 2022, which are performing a driverless operation in a simulated load and haul cycle environment.
Rio Tinto group technical managing director Santi Pal said: “Our climate action plan includes phasing out the purchase of new diesel haul trucks by 2030, and partnering with industry leaders, such as Scania, across a range of fields, is an important step towards achieving that. As well as the potential decarbonisation benefits, this partnership provides a path to potential productivity improvements.”
Scania vice president & head of autonomous solutions Peter Hafmar said: “This is a major step towards the goals of a sustainable autonomous mining solution and builds on our already fruitful long-term collaboration.”
