Harsco Corporation has announced that its Environmental division (HE) will serve as pilot customer for Volvo Construction Equipment’s (Volvo CE) new autonomous battery-electric hauler. While not yet on the market, the hauler is being heralded as the “next groundbreaking step in Volvo CE’s innovation journey.”

“We are delighted to partner with Volvo CE on this pilot,” said HE Chief Operating Officer Russ Mitchell. “Our participation represents the fulfillment of the promise we make to every Harsco Environmental customer: that we will always seek solutions that are both innovative and environmentally responsible.”

Based on the HX2 concept model, a fleet of four updated machines will begin the year-long pilot program in March 2020 at a HE site in Sweden, where it will be tested in a repetitive transport application. The machine is fully automated and uses shared and proven technologies from the Volvo group like batteries and driveline systems.

“We aim to raise the bar in what our machines can achieve for our customers, and this innovative commercial pilot represents the next phase of our journey into increased machine autonomy,” said Volvo CE President Melker Jernberg. “By working alongside valued customers like Harsco Environmental we are challenging our autonomous technology in demanding real-world applications. Getting advanced prototypes into the hands of customers early also allows us to incorporate their feedback in the pre-production phase. This commercial pilot is an important next step in the process of industrialising this exciting future technology.”

Harsco Environmental is a leading provider of material processing and environmental services to the global steel and metals industries including onsite mill services and resource recovery services.