Nowadays it’s all about automation so it came as no surprise when mining companies started exploring this option as well. A year ago, Volvo and our partner Lafarge Holcim joined forces to test the use of autonomous electric haulers in a limestone quarry.

The use of autonomous haulage systems (AHS) has been present since the 2000s with companies like Komatsu and CAT developing projects of their own;  but such systems have mostly been applied in the mining of materials such as iron ore, copper, oil sands and coal. AHS applied by cement companies in quarries is something completely new, and this was the first initiative in the cement industry announced publicly.

Automation is attractive to mining giants due to the fact that electric equipment can help them meet their sustainability goals by switching to renewable energy supplies. Other incentives may include additional operational hours, better worker safety and reduced costs. At the same time, there are always concerns when it comes to a machine being more reliable than an experienced human operator. In any case, it is still very early to tell whether this will succeed and scale, but it will be interesting to follow how this development unfolds.