Brazilian miner and iron ore producer Vale expects to increase the number of self-driving trucks it uses at its Brucutu iron ore mine in Brazil, the company said on Monday. Currently, Vale operates seven self-driving or “autonomous” trucks at the mine. The company plans to increase the number of trucks to 13 by next year.
Vale said the off-road vehicles can move about 240 mt in each load. The trucks use artificial intelligence and a GPS system to move around the mine. The use of self-driving trucks is a result of a six years of tests and research, Vale said. By using autonomous trucks, Vale expects to increase the life cycle of equipment by 15 percent, and reduce maintenance costs by 10 percent.