Scania explores the future, and it is electric!

Electrification is happening so fast that Scania estimates 10% of its vehicle sales will be electric by 2025 – rising to a staggering 50% by the end of this decade. In keeping with this trend, electrified vehicles are becoming a common sight on the roads of northern Sweden. The latest is an electric Scania heavy-duty tipper that will do duty on a mine.

The electric Scania heavy-duty tipper will operate in the Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara AB (LKAB) mine in Malmberget, northern Sweden, alongside an electric crane truck specially adapted for these mining operations. This development gives Scania a chance to test and operate fully electric trucks in a demanding underground mine environment.

LKAB is an international mining and minerals group specialising in sustainable iron ore and minerals. One of Sweden’s oldest industrial companies, LKAB is wholly-owned by the Swedish state and employs more than 4 500 people in 12 countries.

Scania and LKAB both operate in industries that are currently undergoing significant shifts towards higher levels of sustainability. The two well-established industrial companies are now joining forces to operate electric vehicles in LKAB’s mines.

LKAB is striving to become one of the most sustainable mining companies in the world. It is committed to developing carbon-free processes and products by 2045, leading the transformation of the iron and steel industry. The route to a safe, productive, and carbon emission-free iron and steel industry starts with the iron ore in the mines, and is now extended to include transport.

“The electric trucks are part of an ambition to set a new standard for sustainable mining, where fossil-free is used all the way. We are shifting our fleet away from fossil diesel and as we are testing the capacity of battery-powered electric vehicles, decisions are taken with respect to the choice of trucks that must not only contribute to higher productivity but, above all, also a more sustainable mine and a safer work environment,” says Peter Gustavsson, project manager at LKAB.

The Scania tipper has a total weight of 49 tonnes including load, and will transport residual products. The second truck is equipped with a crane, purpose-fit to transport drill steel to underground drill rigs. The electric truck with the crane will be charged at the depot, but mobile charging at the sites will also be possible to increase flexibility. The vehicles are expected to start operating at LKAB this year.

“We continue to work with customers that are willing to try innovative solutions together with us. For Scania, it is very valuable to be able to test electric vehicles in the extreme environment of real customer operations in the mine. On top of that, the electric heavy tipper is the first of its kind in the industry and another really big step on the journey towards sustainable transport solutions across all applications,” says Fredrik Allard, head of e-mobility at Scania.

“Scania´s entry into our transformation process is valuable because it gives us the opportunity to evaluate their battery-powered vehicles,” says Gustavsson. “Together, we hope to develop and build fossil-free vehicles that are as productive – or even more so – than the ones we currently have.”