120-tonne electric trucks take mining 1,250m underground with 624kWh batteries

Two 120-tonne battery-electric trucks are now hauling iron ore deep inside Sweden’s Malmberget mine, showing how electric heavy transport is moving beyond surface operations and into demanding underground production. The Scania-based semi-trailer trucks can carry just over 70 tonnes each and use 624 kWh battery packs. They are operating at depths of up to 1,250 meters below ground as part of LKAB’s effort to reduce emissions from its mining operations. During commissioning, the trucks have already moved more than 100,000 tonnes of iron ore across about 1,500 round trips. LKAB says the vehicles have demonstrated around seven hours of operation per charge, covering roughly 45 trips and moving about 3,200 tonnes of material. The trucks can charge at up to 375 kW, with a full charge taking around 80 minutes. They move ore between underground chutes and crushers at a mine that handles more than 50,000 tonnes of iron ore each day. Heavy electric haulage goes deeper LKAB says the trucks are, to its knowledge, the world’s largest and heaviest battery-electric underground mining trucks. The company qualifies the claim because larger battery-electric haul trucks are already being developed and tested for surface mining. Putting battery-electric equipment more than a mile underground creates challenges that do not exist to the same degree in surface mining. Charging infrastructure has to be integrated into the mine, while vehicle availability and turnaround times must be maintained without disrupting production. The trucks’ seven-hour operating window and 80-minute full-charge time give LKAB data on how electric haulage can fit into those production cycles. The project also provides a test of whether large battery-powered vehicles can maintain the productivity required for continuous mining operations rather than simply demonstrate that they can move heavy loads. LKAB is now preparing another electric truck for a more demanding test. Electric truck targets round-the-clock A separate Scania 8×4 heavy tipper, called Sleipner, is being prepared for continuous 24/7 production. The vehicle weighs about 60 tonnes when fully loaded, carries a 38-tonne payload and has a 416 kWh battery. LKAB is evaluating whether Sleipner can replace a diesel truck performing the same production task. Unlike the 120-tonne underground semi-trailers, the 8×4 is intended to test whether a battery-electric truck can maintain diesel-like availability during around-the-clock operation. The two programs therefore address different parts of mine electrification. The larger trucks are demonstrating heavy battery-electric haulage deep underground, while Sleipner is being tested against the availability demands of continuous production. LKAB and Scania have been working on mining electrification for several years. An earlier Scania electric heavy tipper entered surface operation at Malmberget in 2022 and accumulated around 31,000 miles during its initial test phase. LKAB aims to electrify 30% of its mining fleet by 2027. It also wants to haul and load at least five million tonnes of material annually without tailpipe emissions. “We may have built the world’s heaviest battery-electric underground truck — but we’re just getting started, with bigger, better and smarter things already in the making,” said Pär Sundqvist.The next challenge is therefore not simply proving that a 120-tonne electric truck can work underground. It is showing that battery-electric machines can repeatedly deliver the reliability, productivity and availability needed in a working minGet the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.With over a decade-long career in journalism, Neetika Walter has worked with The Economic Times, ANI, and Hindustan Times, covering politics, business, technology, and the clean energy sector. Passionate about contemporary culture, books, poetry, and storytelling, she brings depth and insight to her writing. When she isn’t chasing stories, she’s likely lost in a book or enjoying the company of her dogs.