Brazilian mining group Vale SA announced on Thursday that it has deployed self-driving trucks for the first time at its largest iron ore mine in Carajas.
Vale thinks the driverless trucks would boost production and safety in their main mission, according to Pedro Bemfica, head of the autonomous technology program.
Vale’s six self-driving vehicles in Carajas are nearly twice the height and more than three times the width of a conventional truck and can hold 320 tonnes of iron ore.
The mammoth equipment will be used alongside the fleet of 120 normal off-road vehicles, with four more self-driving trucks to be added by the end of 2021.
Vale predicts that the trucks, which travel constantly and at higher speeds, would cut fuel consumption by 5% and support the company’s plans to minimize its greenhouse gas emissions.
Vale’s entire fleet of 13 off-road vehicles at the Brucutu mine in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais is autonomous, and there has not been a single accident since the technology was first deployed there in 2016.
The company plans to invest $64 million to increase its fleet of self-driving trucks to 37 units in Carajas.
For more information, view the original story from Reuters.
For more information, view the original story from Reuters.