Sleipner Finland has unveiled a new generation of fully electric and autonomous transport systems for moving mining and construction equipment.
The newly released emission-free electric transport system is aimed at mines that already use automated equipment, such as drills, and therefore have the infrastructure to support autonomous solutions.
Several patents are pending for Sleipner’s innovative transport solution.
“Autonomous mining requires all equipment to be automated – from the giant vehicles that transport blasted rocks and the drills. The entire site can be operated and monitored remotely and safely without mining personnel having to work among the automated vehicles,” said CEO Jukka Koponen.
“There are already dozens of autonomous mines around the world, and more are coming all the time. Australia is one of the pioneers. Currently, the big mining companies are the driving force in autonomous mining, in part due to their emission reduction targets. By 2030, the goal among mining companies is to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by half and at the same time automate operations as much as possible.”
She noted that several large equipment manufacturers have already shown interest in the system, and it is in talks on cooperation agreements.
Sleipner said it plans to deliver its first autonomous and electric transport system as early as 2026.
“Our new transport system makes it possible to eliminate carbon dioxide emissions completely when transporting equipment, whereas current solutions consume significant amounts of diesel. In the future, it will be possible to move machines with battery-powered, environmentally friendly solutions. At the same time, the productivity of the equipment being transported will also improve by about five percent, while life cycle costs will decrease by up to 10%,” added Teijo Höylä, CTO.
The company said the new autonomous and electric transport system will be scaled to different weight classes, and the autonomous control system interface will be brand-independent.
Source: Sleipner