Sweden’s deployment of two 120-tonne battery-electric haul trucks more than a kilometre underground marks the first time this weight class has operated at depth in commercial production, demonstrating that the ventilation savings and duty-cycle predictability of deep mining can outweigh battery weight and charging constraints that still challenge surface fleets.
Why underground haulage is the beachhead for heavy electric trucks
The source reports that a Swedish iron ore miner – widely understood to be LKAB given its Kiruna and Malmberget operations – is running two 120-tonne battery-electric trucks on active haul routes exceeding one kilometre below surface. The trucks were supplied by Epiroc, which has been testing its Minetruck MT65 Electric platform since 2022. Unlike surface operations where grade, payload variability, and long haul distances strain battery capacity, the underground environment delivers three structural advantages: ambient temperatures that reduce thermal management loads, fixed haul profiles with known grades and distances, and the elimination of diesel particulate filtration and ventilation infrastructure that typically consumes 30-50% of an underground mine’s total energy budget.
Diesel ventilation is not merely an operating cost; it is a capital constraint. A single 120-tonne diesel truck underground can require 50-70 kW of ventilation fan power just to dilute its emissions to safe levels. Multiply that across a fleet of 20-30 units and the mine’s main ventilation shafts and fan stations become the single largest electrical load on site – often 15-25 MW for a mid-sized operation. Replacing even a fraction of that fleet with zero-tailpipe trucks shrinks the ventilation design basis, potentially deferring shaft upgrades or allowing deeper development without new surface infrastructure. That points to an economic case that is fundamentally different from surface haulage, where the primary EV value proposition is fuel cost arbitrage and carbon pricing.
The Swedish context adds regulatory weight. Sweden’s mining sector faces a national target of net-zero emissions by 2045, and LKAB has publicly committed to fossil-free processes by 2035. The country’s electricity grid is already >95% fossil-free, so every diesel litre displaced underground translates almost directly into Scope 1 abatement. By comparison, a similar deployment in Australia’s Pilbara or Chile’s Atacama would still draw on grids with significant gas or coal generation, muting the carbon benefit unless paired with dedicated renewables.
Cross-sector implications: ventilation economics rewrite the TCO model
That points to a broader shift in how mining companies calculate total cost of ownership (TCO) for electric mobile equipment. Surface haulage TCO models typically show battery-electric trucks reaching parity with diesel only when carbon prices exceed USD 80-100/tCO₂ or when electricity prices fall below USD 40/MWh – conditions not yet met in most jurisdictions. Underground, the ventilation offset changes the math: each electric truck eliminates roughly 50-70 kW of continuous fan load, worth approximately USD 35,000-50,000 per year at industrial power rates of USD 60-80/MWh. Over a 10-year truck life, that ventilation saving alone approaches USD 400,000-500,000 per unit before any fuel arbitrage is counted.
If this trend holds, the next inflection point is battery swapping versus fast charging. The source notes “predictable routes” – a euphemism for the fact that underground haul cycles are short (typically 15-30 minutes round trip) and repetitive, making opportunity charging at the loader or dump point technically feasible. Epiroc’s MT65 Electric supports both 1.5 MW pantograph charging and a 30-minute battery swap system. For a two-truck trial, either works; for a fleet of 20, the swap model avoids concentrating 30 MW of charging demand at a single substation, which would require a new 132 kV feed in many older mines. That grid-connection bottleneck is a sleeper issue: surface mines can often build dedicated solar-plus-storage microgrids; deep underground mines are captive to the surface substation capacity installed decades ago.
By comparison, the surface mining sector is watching Caterpillar’s 793 electric prototype and Komatsu’s 980E electric development, but both remain in validation at depths of zero metres. The underground deployment of 120-tonne class trucks is effectively 3-5 years ahead of surface commercialisation for equivalent payloads. That lead time matters for battery suppliers – CATL, Northvolt, and Samsung SDI – because underground duty cycles (shallow depth-of-discharge, frequent recharge, cool ambient) are far gentler on cell chemistry than surface haulage, potentially extending pack life from 5,000 to 8,000+ cycles. That longevity data, once published, will reshape warranty terms and residual value models across all heavy-duty applications.
Who this affects
- Mining executives (COO, VP Operations): Ventilation capital deferral can improve project NPV more than fuel savings; model the full ventilation design basis change, not just per-truck OPEX.
- Battery and charging infrastructure developers: Underground mines offer a controlled, high-utilisation proving ground for 1-2 MW charging and swap systems – data from these sites will define warranty terms for surface fleets later.
- Policy analysts and regulators: Sweden’s outcome demonstrates that underground electrification can be mandated with shorter payback periods than surface; expect EU taxonomy and national mining codes to differentiate by mine type.
- Equipment OEMs (Epiroc, Sandvik, Caterpillar, Komatsu): The 120-tonne underground platform is now a reference design; surface platforms must solve thermal management and grid connection without the ventilation subsidy.
What to watch next
- Fleet scale-up: whether the operator expands from two to 10+ units at the same mine within 18 months, signalling confidence in battery life and charging logistics.
- Battery degradation data: real-world cycle-life reports after 2,000+ cycles in cool, shallow-DOD underground service – if packs retain >85% capacity, residual values rise sharply.
- Charging architecture choice: pantograph opportunity charging versus battery swap – the decision will dictate substation upgrade schedules and surface grid reinforcement costs.
- Peer adoption: Boliden, Zinkgruvan, or Finnish/Swedish peers announcing similar 100+ tonne electric deployments, confirming the model transfers across ore bodies and mining methods.
Bottom line
The first commercial 120-tonne electric trucks operating at depth prove that underground mining’s ventilation economics create a viable business case for heavy electrification years before surface haulage reaches parity – making deep mines the de facto testbed that will define battery, charging, and grid-integration standards for the entire heavy-duty sector.
Read the full report at The Driven
Original source: The Driven (Australian EV & zero-carbon transport news)
Note: facts and figures attributed above to The Driven (Australian EV & zero-carbon transport news) reflect that outlet's original reporting. Broader context, cross-sector connections, and forward-looking scenarios reflect independent analysis by our editorial team.
About this article: Drafted by Energy Ai with AI-assisted research and writing based on public reporting, then reviewed under our editorial process before publication.
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