September 1, 2023 - Liebherr has announced that its autonomous T 264 mining truck will undergo field testing later this year.

Liebherr’s mining division has announced that it will be conducting onsite validation tests of its autonomous T 264 mining trucks. The validation testing reportedly will take place later this year at a mining site located in western Australia.

“After significant research, development and program planning, Liebherr is excited to announce the commencement of onsite Autonomous Haulage Solution (AHS) validation as we move to deploy the next generation of autonomy technology for mining equipment,” Scott Bellamy, divisional general manager, product management, said in a press release announcing the project. “This deployment not only represents Liebherr Mining’s market introduction of the AHS, but also highlights Liebherr’s continued expansion as a technology solution provider for the mining industry.”

The T 264 is Liebherr's offering in the 240-ton truck class.

According to Liebherr’s announcement, the company has completed extensive internal validation testing of its AHS at the firm’s U.S.-based mining technology development center. The fleet being deployed for validation testing in Australia will consist of four T 264 trucks.

The T 264 is Liebherr’s offering in the 240-ton truck class. It is rated for a 265-ton (240,400-kg) payload with a gross vehicle weight of 459 tons (416,400 kg). The powertrain of the T 264 offers a peak output of 2,700 hp (2,013 kW) by way of a Cummins QSK 60, a Liebherr D9812 or an MTU 16V4000 C23 engine. These powertrain options are paired with a Litronic Plus AC drive system as well as electric AC induction wheel motors rated at 4,425 hp (3,300 kW).

Liebherr’s autonomous drive system features an array of autonomous solutions that will be integrated into a single central control system via the use of standardized “Open Protocols.” Liebherr’s goal is to provide customers with the latitude to choose their preferred combinations of equipment, onboard autonomous solutions and central control platforms.

Liebherr states that this latest step of validation testing marks a new stage of the company’s strategy to accelerate development of new autonomous products for the mining industry. “Along with the first deployment of the autonomy solution, Liebherr has expanded its autonomy project team to include onsite support for the duration of the AHS validation program,” Bellamy said.

“However, our focus is to ensure the organization can support in the future not only this exciting project, but also future AHS deployments across multiple customers and regions.”