Future Electrified Mobile Machines

The European Union, governments, and cities, as well as individual companies have set their targets high to be climate neutral soon (EU 2050, Finland 2035). Mobile working machines and the processes they are involved in play a part in achieving the targets. The great challenge for the industry of mobile working machines is, how to decarbonize their customers’ operations. The companies that find the solution will be able to gain remarkable competitive advantage to
generate a considerable amount of new business. The prevailing presumption is that the transition from fossil-based economy to Sustainable Energy-Economy Framework is based on electrification and digitalisation.

The Sustainable Industry X (SIX) Mobile Work Machines cluster's companies, led by Veturi company Sandvik, have created a roadmap for developing the Future working machine (2030). The roadmap indicates six areas of development. This research project focuses on the highest priority areas of electrification, autonomous operation, and digitalisation of working machines.

The project focuses on developing technologies and methods that are fundamental for replacing fossil-fuel-based power sources, enabling the improvement in productivity and extending the life-cycle of the working machines; all important drivers for sustainability. These fundamental technologies are machine’s technical solutions, optimised operations,
measurement and analysis methods of electrical components, mainly batteries but also inverters and electrically powered drives and tools. Autonomy of electrified working machines improves productivity, and this research develops designs, control algorithms, and data-based methods for integrating worksite related data to operations of the working machines. Digital technologies are the glue that enable orchestration of working machine components, working machines, use of worksite infrastructure, and provides data for renewing established and inventing novel data-based services. The current digital solutions are based on legacy technologies and are cumbersome and laborious to develop, commission, and update. This research adopts technologies that are used in manufacturing automation industry and that are emerging in process automation industry but are not yet adopted in working machine industry.