Rio Tinto Advances Open Autonomy with Scania and Wenco
- International Mining
- Oct 8, 2024
- 1 min read
Updated: Apr 1
International Mining reported on July 11, 2023, that Rio Tinto continues its collaboration with Scania and Wenco at the Channar iron ore mine in Australia's Pilbara region, developing an interoperable autonomous haulage solution.
The project focuses on Rio Tinto's 'Right Sized Autonomous Haulage System' using Scania 8×4 XT 40-tonne trucks, examining the optimal truck size to balance automation and energy consumption. According to Ben Rogers, General Manager Services & Delivery Technology at Rio Tinto, this approach "includes accelerating the use of smaller, civil class electric trucks" which can reduce mining footprints through narrower roads and smaller infrastructure.
Rio Tinto has successfully tested spot loading integration using Scania's autonomous trucks with Wenco's Open Autonomy system installed on a wheel loader, with trials continuing over the next 12 months.
The project implements ISO 23725, the open autonomy standard that enables interoperability between different systems and equipment, allowing mining companies to utilize existing infrastructure while adopting autonomous technology.
