Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions says it is expanding its technology portfolio by developing a diesel-electric range of underground loaders and trucks to complement its battery-electric vehicle offering.
For more than 40 years, Sandvik has been driving electrification of underground mining equipment, starting with cable–electric loaders in the early 1980s and evolving to BEV equipment today, it said. Now the company is expanding its load and haul offering to include diesel–electric equipment.
“We see the future of underground mining as a combination of multiple coexisting technologies, with different solutions for varying customer needs,” Jari Söderlund, Product Management Director, Division Load and Haul, Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, said.“An immediate switch from diesel to battery-electric is not a feasible solution for every mine and application. Diesel-electric is another technology that can help our customers achieve their productivity and sustainability goals.”
Sandvik first showcased its new Toro™ diesel-electric truck demonstrator to customers at a technology workshop in Turku, Finland, in 2022, during which participants shared their expectations for diesel-electric technology, Sandvik said. The demonstrator has since undergone extensive performance testing and the Sandvik product development team is using feedback from the workshop to ensure its future offering meets customer and industry needs.
Customers can expect the diesel-electric equipment offering to boost productivity, reduce total cost of ownership, improve availability and extend component lifetimes, it said. The equipment will benefit from the experience Sandvik has gained with its BEV installed base, and will utilise many common platforms used for the Toro load and haul product series, which has thousands of units delivered around the globe.
The diesel-electric Toro loaders and trucks will be automation compatible and available with advanced Sandvik digital service solutions as well as remote monitoring services, to further improve productivity and safety while reducing total cost of ownership.
