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Rio Tinto to work with Caterpillar on development of zero-emission autonomous haul trucks

Rio Tinto's CCO and Caterpillar Group's president sign an MOU
Rio Tinto’s Chief Commercial Officer Alf Barrios and Caterpillar Group President Denise Johnson.

Rio Tinto and Caterpillar have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Caterpillar's development of zero-emissions autonomous haul trucks for use at one of Rio Tinto's Western Australian mining operations.

The collaboration will see Rio Tinto work with Caterpillar to advance the development of the manufacturer's future 220-tonne 793 zero-emissions autonomous haul truck including the validation of Caterpillar's emerging zero-emissions technology.

Rio Tinto and Caterpillar will progress a series of development milestones to include a 793 prototype pilot program, testing and pre-production trials.

It is anticipated that the world's first operational deployment of approximately 35 new Caterpillar 793 zero-emissions autonomous haul trucks will be at Gudai-Darri once development is complete. Gudai-Darri is Rio Tinto's most technically advanced iron ore mine, in the Pilbara, Western Australia

Rio Tinto's Chief Commercial Officer Alf Barrios said, "Our ambition to reach net zero emissions across our operations is a priority. Reaching this ambition will require new and innovative solutions and partnerships with supplier partners like Caterpillar. This collaboration represents a small but important step on that journey."

Caterpillar Group President Denise Johnson said, "By leveraging these technologies across their sites, Rio Tinto can more safely increase productivity, efficiency and be more sustainable. We are pleased to be part of Rio Tinto's sustainability journey and look forward to building on our long-standing collaboration."

In June, Rio Tinto announced it would deploy the world's first fully autonomous water truck at Gudai-Darri, which will also be produced by Caterpillar. Rio Tinto is assessing multiple project scopes for Gudai-Darri Phase 2 as part of an ongoing $44 million pre-feasibility study. 

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