Scania, Fortescue to develop autonomous mining road train vehicle

Road train photographed in Western Australia (Photo: Reuters)

Following on from the announcement that Fortescue and Liebherr have signed a $2.8 billion deal for development of an electrified mining vehicle fleet, the mining company has now entered into an agreement with Scania to develop and validate an autonomous road train vehicle.

“By utilising Scania’s extensive knowledge in supplying trucks to the mining industry and our expertise in autonomous driving, the Road Train solution will reduce the overall mining footprint,” said Manfred Streit, MD at Scania Australia.

The autonomous solution will be developed, tested and validated at Fortescue’s iron ore operations in Christmas Creek, Queensland.

The road train vehicle will feature truck automation tech from Scania and Fortescue’s Fleet Management System, designed to optimise fleet utilisation, maximise productivity and reduce fuel consumption. Other featured tech will include Scania’s hardware from the R770 prime mover platform.

Road trains, made up of a tractor unit and multiple trailers, are widely used in Australia. The version to be produced by the partners will feature three trailers (120 tonnes) which will have a payload capacity of 240 tonnes.

Fortescue Metals CEO, Dino Otranto said: “Our deep expertise in autonomous haulage has enabled us to jointly develop a unique autonomous solution that unlocks high grade, satellite deposits for us to mine economically. This project will help us maximise productivity with unique low-cost solutions in our mining value chain.”