Epiroc Capital Markets Day outlines automation, electrification advances
Reflecting a general reduction in financial commitment from mining houses in investing in next-generation mining equipment that is affecting all major OEMs, Epiroc’s headline updates on its automation and electrification mining advances at its 2026 Capital Markets Day showed slowing adoption progress.
Speaking in Örebro, Sweden, Helena Hedblom, President and CEO, said the company now has 3,900 driverless machines out in the field, while 40 sites were currently using the mining OEM’s battery-electric vehicles.
Both numbers are up from the last Capital Markets Day – an event held just before MINExpo 2024 in Las Vegas, kicked off – but show the adoption acceleration is slowing.
For reference, Epiroc had, as of the 2024 CMD, 3,100 machines running without drivers, which was up 29% from the 2023 CMD in June 2023. The 2026 (3,900) versus 2024 (3,100) number is only up 26%.
When it comes to electrification, the company mentioned in Las Vegas that it had deployed battery-electric vehicles at 34 sites as of the 2024 investor event. It also said it had an active electric fleet of rigs, loaders and trucks totalling over 600 units (of which a large portion is historical fleet, including cable). The 2026 BEV number was up by six sites – with around 40% of sites conducting repeat orders and utilisation rates increasing three times during the last 12 months – while the 600 number remained unchanged.
Back at CMD 2024, Epiroc said group revenues related to electrification were 4%; at today’s event, it said 3.8% of group revenues were from electrification.
Despite this, the company continues to invest in its electrification offering, with its Minetruck MT66 S eDrive highlighted by Jess Kindler, Business Area President of Equipment and Service, as one such development area. He also singled out the Scooptram ST14 SG battery-electric, automation-ready LHD during his time on stage, saying investments in this platform – the battery technology and the MCS charging infrastructure – were expected to boost operating time by 15% (to 5.3 hours) and reduce charging time by 59% (to 35 minutes) by 2027, compared with the 2025 baseline.
Hedblom also mentioned that around 43% of the offering was now available in a “fossil-free” option, compared with 42% in Las Vegas. Epiroc has previously said it intends to offer its full offering with fossil-free options by 2030.
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