Cat’s Autonomous Trucks Haul 1 Billion Tons in Less Than a Year

Vans outfitted with Cat MineStar Command established a new document in 2021, transferring extra than 1 billion tons of substance autonomously in less than a yr.

Given that 2013, hauling trucks with Cat MineStar Command have autonomously hauled extra than 4.4 billion tons, and all without the need of a shed-time personal injury, Cat says. To day, vehicles geared up with the company’s autonomous haulage process have logged far more than 91.3 million miles, practically the similar length as touring from Earth to the sun.

“Safety and sustainability proceed to be leading values in the mining industry. We are now entering our ninth yr with zero reduction-time injuries with Command for hauling, a testament to its basic safety document,” feedback Marc Cameron, vice president, Caterpillar Source Industries. “A the latest 5-yr analyze by just one of our prospects autonomously hauling iron ore reported an 11% reduction in gas use – ensuing in a 4,740 tons per year CO2 emissions reduction – 11% maximize in hourly creation, 50% larger greatest truck travel speed, and 35% improved tire daily life.”

Autonomous vehicles equipped with Command for hauling are running at 18 mine sites by 10 corporations throughout a few continents. Commodities autonomously hauled incorporate iron ore, oil sands, copper, coal and gold.

Cat mining vehicles able of absolutely autonomous procedure consist of the 789D, 793D, 793F, 797F and 794 AC with electrical drive. Retrofit kits allow mining functions to increase Command for hauling to present Cat mining vehicles,  as properly as other makes of vans and loading machines in their fleet.

“We carry on to discover new avenues with Command for hauling to make strides toward the totally autonomous mine web page and lately surpassed a main milestone of far more than 500 autonomous trucks. Our earlier introduced collaboration with Newmont will introduce up to 16 autonomous trucks as a result of 2023 at the company’s Cripple Creek and Victor mine in Colorado with plans to changeover to haulage fleet electrification, supporting Newmont’s goal of decreasing greenhouse gasoline emissions by a lot more than 30%,” says Sean McGinnis, typical manager for Cat Mining. “We at the moment have in development superior-altitude and new merchandise introduction tasks for the more compact 98.4-ton dimensions course. We have also expanded our Command method to Cat drinking water vans for haul road dust handle at the mine.”

Cat is doing the job with Rio Tinto’s Gudai-Darri mine in Australia to deploy the world’s first autonomous drinking water truck, the Cat 789D. Connected with Cat MineStar technologies, Command for hauling on the 789D integrates the truck, tank and water shipping method (WDS). The Cat WDS provides variable drinking water move dependent on truck velocity, and the system’s variable displacement pump quickly commences and stops when the truck slows or arrives to a halt, avoiding overwatering and bad traction at intersections.