North America’s first autonomous electric cranes start operating

Swedish multinational Sandvik says it has successfully deployed a pair of Toro LH518iB battery-powered fully autonomous underground loaders at New Gold Inc. ($NGD) New Afton Mine in British Columbia, Canada.

Heavy mining equipment experts in Sandvik Let’s assume that the revolutionary new 18-ton loaders have been in service since mid-November, working in a dedicated test area of ​​the mine’s “Lift 1” footwall. The mine operators are preparing to move the automated machinery to “Area C” of the mine any time now, and put it into regular service by the first of the new year.

“This is a significant achievement for Canadian mining, as these are the first fully automated, battery-powered electric cranes in North America.” Sandvik said in a post on LinkedIn. “The introduction of the Toro LH518iB highlights the potential of automation and electrification in mining.”

The company says the addition of the new heavy loaders will enable New Afton operations to “enhance cycle times and reduce heat, noise and greenhouse gas emissions” at the Cave Mine – the only operation of its kind (currently) in Canada.

Take Electric

Of drilling and forging to Heavy transport solutionscompanies like Sandvik have proven that electrical equipment is capable of doing the job of moving dirt and pulling things out of the ground. At the same time, growing demand for nickel, lithium and phosphate, combined with the natural benefits of electricity, is driving the adoption of electric mining machines, while an ongoing shortage of operators is driving demand for autonomous technology in those machines.

The combined factors mentioned above accelerate the rate of obsolescence of devices already in service -And, While some companies are exploring the cost/benefit of converting existing vehicles to electric vehicles Or, in some cases, hydrogenThe general consensus seems to be that more companies will purchase new equipment more often in the coming years.

Furthermore, more of this equipment is likely to become autonomous over time.

We covered the market outlook for autonomous and electric mining equipment earlier this summerand I published an episode exploring the growing demand for electrical equipment in an episode of the program Fast shipping I’ve combined them below. Check it out, then let us know what you think about the future of electric mining in the comments.

More electric vehicles means more mines and equipment

Source | photo: Sandvikvia LinkedIn.