Epiroc completes autonomous truck conversion at Hancock's Roy Hill mine
Swedish engineering group Epiroc said Friday it has successfully converted a fleet of 78 haul trucks to driverless operation at Hancock Iron Ore’s Roy Hill mine in Western Australia.
The project is a major milestone toward creating what the companies call the world's largest autonomous mine that can operate with equipment from different manufacturers.
The autonomous fleet, which will ultimately comprise 54 Caterpillar and 24 Hitachi trucks, is managed by Epiroc's systems from a remote operations center 1,100 kilometers away in Perth.
According to the company, 60 of the converted trucks are already in autonomous operation.
“Hancock Iron Ore is at the absolute forefront of mining automation, and we are happy to play a key role in their success,” Epiroc President and CEO Helena Hedblom said in a statement.
The project, which entered its final implementation stage in early 2023, has already moved over 250 million tonnes of material autonomously, the company said.
Epiroc recognized around 300 million Swedish Kronor in revenue from the project in the third quarter and said it anticipates recurring annual revenues.
The final phase, bringing all converted trucks and ancillary vehicles online, is on track for completion by December 2025, according to the company.
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