A driverless haul truck navigates an open-pit mine using onboard sensing and fleet-control systems.
By Sonny Rollins
Volvo’s launch of Autona / earth marks a significant change in how mining autonomy is being commercialized. Reported by International Mining on Aug. 25, the system is designed to place autonomous and conventional vehicles within the same operating environment, rather than requiring a mine to replace its entire haulage fleet at once.
That matters because the autonomous mining technology 2026 landscape is no longer defined only by driverless trucks completing demonstration runs. The commercial test is broader: can autonomy be integrated with existing equipment, mine planning, processing capacity, energy infrastructure and the workforce?
The question is becoming more urgent as mining companies face shortages of skilled operators, pressure to improve safety and the need to control operating costs across increasingly complex projects. At the same time, electrification is adding another layer to fleet decisions, linking vehicle autonomy with charging infrastructure, grid capacity and energy management.
Why Volvo’s mixed-traffic model matters
Autona / earth is built around an autonomous Volvo FH truck, Volvo’s in-house Virtual Driver and a Site Control system. The package also includes fleet management, site infrastructure, operations support, maintenance and uptime services, according to Volvo Autonomous Solutions.
The system is offered through a transport-as-a-service model. Rather than buying and managing every part of the autonomy stack, customers can pay for material transported while Volvo manages elements of the vehicles, software, site integration and maintenance.
The approach is important for brownfield mines and quarries. Existing operations typically include equipment from multiple manufacturers, established traffic rules, manually operated trucks and changing haul routes. A dedicated autonomous zone can simplify deployment, but it may also limit flexibility if autonomous and conventional traffic cannot interact safely.
Volvo’s model attempts to address that transition problem. Its system is designed to integrate into existing haulage operations, with the virtual driver managing repeatable routes while site-control software coordinates vehicle movements and provides centralized oversight.
The company says its autonomous vehicles use LiDAR, radar, cameras and other real-time data to navigate controlled mining and quarrying environments. At Brønnøy Kalk in Norway, Volvo says seven autonomous trucks have hauled more than one million tonnes, including 24/7 operations.
The commercial proposition is therefore not simply “buy a driverless truck.” It is a managed operating system for material movement.
From the 1,000-truck milestone to 1,900 vehicles
The scale of CiDi’s MetaMine system provides the clearest measure of how quickly the sector is moving beyond isolated pilots.
According to figures reported by Mining Technology and other industry publications, CiDi said its MetaMine autonomous haulage system had been deployed on more than 1,900 mining trucks across nearly 40 mines by mid-2026.
The company also reported that:
- Seven sites operate fleets of more than 100 autonomous trucks.
- The largest single-site deployment exceeds 220 vehicles.
- MetaMine supports haulage, dumping, crusher feeding, energy replenishment and central dispatch.
- Some sites have operated with approximately one remote supervisor for every 100 trucks, although that ratio varies by operating conditions and should not be treated as an industry standard.
The figure follows an earlier Skillings analysis of the 1,000-truck milestone. At that stage, the significance was that autonomous haulage had reached a symbolic threshold. The new data shifts the focus toward fleet density, multi-site deployment and repeatability.
CiDi’s figure is a company-reported cumulative shipment number rather than an independently audited count of trucks operating continuously in production. Even with that qualification, the scale indicates that autonomous haulage is becoming a significant equipment and software market.
Aerial perspective of a connected haulage fleet operating across multiple mine routes.
Autonomous fleet deployment tracker
The following table provides a reference point for operators, investors and researchers assessing the autonomous mining technology 2026 market.
| Project or platform | Location | Reported equipment or fleet | Sites or scale | Operating target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CiDi MetaMine | Global deployments | More than 1,900 trucks | Nearly 40 mines; seven fleets above 100 trucks; largest above 220 | Fleet-scale unmanned haulage and centralized dispatch |
| Volvo Autona / earth | Norway, Sweden and other customer sites | Seven trucks at Brønnøy Kalk; other site-specific deployments | More than 1 million tonnes hauled at Brønnøy Kalk | Mixed-traffic integration, predictable haulage and managed uptime |
| Vale Salobo | Pará, Brazil | 19 Komatsu 930E trucks | One copper complex, within a mixed wider fleet | Approximately 7% increase in total mine movement |
| SANY Smart Mining | South America and other global sites | More than 300 autonomous trucks reported by July 2026 | More than 20 large open-pit mines; more than 13 million km logged | Pure-electric autonomy, cloud dispatch and lifecycle services |
| Viscaria–Sandvik | Kiruna, Sweden | Four DL432i drills and four Toro LH621i loaders | One planned underground copper mine | AutoMine Multi-Lite fleet integration ahead of production restart |
| Aramine–Sensmore | Rüdersdorf, Germany | One L140B battery-electric loader platform | Cemex underground production site | Fully autonomous loading for up to eight hours per shift |
Figures are based on company disclosures and industry reporting. They are not directly comparable because some represent cumulative shipments, while others refer to specific operating fleets or planned equipment.
Vale connects autonomy to copper throughput
Vale’s Salobo copper complex demonstrates why mine operators are increasingly linking autonomy to production strategy.
The operation in Pará has brought a fleet of 19 autonomous Komatsu 930E trucks online under Komatsu’s FrontRunner Autonomous Haulage System, according to International Mining.
Vale is targeting an approximately 7% increase in total mine movement. The objective is connected to the Salobo III coarse-particle flotation expansion, which is expected to add around 6 million tonnes per year of ore-processing capacity.
The operational logic is direct. More processing capacity requires a more consistent supply of ore from the pit. Autonomous trucks can support that requirement through centralized dispatch, more consistent speeds and spacing, and reduced disruption during shift changes.
The project also illustrates the limitations of single-OEM autonomy. Salobo operates a wider mixed fleet that includes other Komatsu models and Caterpillar trucks, but the 930E units are the equipment currently enabled for FrontRunner autonomy, according to industry reporting.
That creates a mine-planning decision. Operators can standardize on a single manufacturer’s autonomy platform, introduce several proprietary systems or seek a technology layer capable of coordinating multiple brands. Each route has consequences for safety certification, control-room design, cybersecurity, data ownership, maintenance and training.
An autonomous truck fleet may therefore deliver strong results within its operating area while the mine as a whole remains dependent on manual equipment. The quality of the interaction between those systems will determine the final productivity gain.
Electrification and autonomy move together
SANY’s first shipment of SKT110Ei pure-electric autonomous mining trucks to South America shows how autonomy and electrification are increasingly being sold as one package.
In a PRNewswire announcement, SANY said the project combines autonomous trucks, roadside infrastructure, cloud-based dispatching and localized operations and maintenance services.
The company reported more than 300 autonomous mining trucks deployed globally by July 2026, with more than 13 million kilometres of operation and over 41 million cubic metres of earth and rock transported. Those figures are company-reported.
Pure-electric haulage changes the operating model. Mines must plan charging capacity, energy storage, thermal management, grid resilience and charging schedules alongside truck dispatch. The autonomy system must also account for battery state and charging queues when assigning vehicles to shovels, dumps and crushers.
The potential benefit is better control of acceleration, braking and idle time, which may reduce energy use per tonne. The actual result will depend on haul distance, gradient, payload, electricity source and charging infrastructure.
Autonomy can improve the utilization of an electric fleet, but it cannot compensate for an undersized or unreliable power system.
Underground mining requires a different architecture
Open-pit haul roads offer relatively predictable routes and broad operating areas. Underground mines present a more demanding environment, with confined intersections, changing headings, limited visibility and communications challenges.
At Sweden’s planned Viscaria copper mine, Sandvik will supply four DL432i longhole drills and four Toro LH621i loaders. All eight machines are expected to operate through the AutoMine Multi-Lite platform, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2027.
Viscaria is targeting a production restart in 2028 and full production in 2029, with annual output planned at approximately 26,000 tonnes of copper. The project is notable because automation is being considered during the mine’s development rather than introduced after decades of conventional production.
That allows the operator to design production areas, communications networks and operating procedures around the technology. It also creates an early capital commitment before the mine has generated operating data.
An autonomous battery-electric loader works in a confined underground production environment.
A separate project involving Aramine and Sensmore demonstrates how autonomy is being applied to smaller underground machines. According to Engineering News, Sensmore has integrated its automation system, safety architecture and machine controls into Aramine’s battery-electric L140B loader for underground production at a Cemex site in Germany.
The 1.3-tonne loader is designed for narrow-vein operations. Engineering News reported that it can operate autonomously for up to eight hours, compared with approximately five hours in manual mode.
The significance is not the size of the machine. It is the integration of the loader into the wider production process, including conveyors, functional safety systems, network infrastructure and operational interfaces.
The operating and workforce implications
The business case for autonomy rests on consistency as much as speed.
Autonomous equipment can reduce unnecessary stops, standardize haul cycles and operate without dependence on shift-by-shift driver availability. Removing people from truck cabins and active production zones may also reduce exposure to collisions, dust, vibration, fatigue and extreme weather.
But autonomy changes labor rather than eliminating it. Mines will need control-room operators, network specialists, sensor technicians, software integrators, maintenance personnel and safety-assurance teams. Workforce transition plans should be developed before deployment, particularly where existing communities depend heavily on driving roles.
Operators also need clear procedures for intervention. Who can stop a fleet? Who approves a route change? How are manually operated vehicles cleared to enter an autonomous area? What happens when communications fail or a sensor becomes unreliable?
Those questions are operational requirements, not secondary technology issues.
Outlook: the mine becomes the system
The autonomous mining technology 2026 landscape now includes several competing models:
- Large-scale fleet platforms, represented by CiDi’s MetaMine deployments.
- Managed mixed-traffic systems, represented by Volvo Autona / earth.
- Production-linked OEM autonomy, represented by Vale’s Salobo fleet.
- Electric autonomous haulage, represented by SANY’s South American deployment.
- Automation-first underground designs, represented by Viscaria and Sandvik.
- Vertically integrated battery-electric loaders, represented by Aramine and Sensmore.
The common direction is clear. Autonomy is moving from the vehicle to the mine system.
Future performance will be measured by tonnes moved, intervention rates, energy consumed per tonne, equipment availability, maintenance cost, safety outcomes and the ability to integrate with processing and power infrastructure.
The companies that deploy the most trucks will not necessarily create the most value. The stronger projects will be those that connect haulage, loading, dumping, crushing, charging, maintenance and people into one reliable operating network.
Shareable social snippet
Autonomous mining is moving beyond driverless truck pilots. Volvo’s Autona / earth is targeting mixed-traffic integration, while CiDi reports more than 1,900 autonomous trucks across nearly 40 mines. Vale, SANY, Sandvik, Aramine and Sensmore show how fleet scale, copper growth, electrification and underground automation are converging. Read the full analysis from Skillings.
Sources and further reading: Volvo Autona / earth, CiDi and autonomous mining coverage from Mining Technology, Vale’s Salobo autonomous fleet, SANY’s South American deployment, Sandvik and Viscaria, and Engineering News on the Aramine–Sensmore loader. Explore more Skillings mining technology coverage and mining operations analysis.
