Autonomous Solutions

Decarbonizing Rio Tinto’s operations through autonomy

Volvo Group and Rio Tinto have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to create a strategic partnership where Rio Tinto will supply responsibly sourced low-carbon products and solutions to Volvo Group and the companies will work towards decarbonizing Rio Tinto’s operations through piloting Volvo Group’s sustainable autonomous hauling solutions.
Volvo FH Electric truck driving on a highway

Through this partnership Volvo Group takes a great step forward in its ambition towards a net-zero value chain, with sustainable sourcing of raw materials such as lithium, low carbon aluminium, copper, and metallics.


The multi-materials partnership will allow Rio Tinto, a leading global mining and metals company, to progress sustainability commitments in its operations and supply chains.


Volvo President and Chief Executive Officer Martin Lundstedt said: “We are eager to partner with Rio Tinto, a true collaboration aiming to accelerate our ambitions towards a fossil-free, decarbonized future. By addressing the full value chain, from the use of low-carbon materials in our products, to providing our customers with sustainable autonomous hauling solutions, we can contribute to a better and more sustainable future.”


Rio Tinto Chief Executive Jakob Stausholm said: “We look forward to partnering with Volvo to progress our contribution to a net-zero future, as we collaborate to deliver sustainable outcomes from the mine to the showroom floor. We will be working together to support the decarbonisation of Rio Tinto’s operations and deliver low-carbon materials for use in Volvo’s innovative product range, including electric and autonomous vehicles.”


The companies will work together to strengthen the supply of responsibly sourced low-carbon materials such as RenewAlTM aluminium, aluminium produced using the ELYSISTM zero-carbon smelting technology, Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) certified aluminium and Copper Mark certified copper, and explore product development opportunities such as supply of lithium for batteries.

About Volvo Autonomous Solutions

The autonomous hauling solution offered by Volvo Autonomous Solutions is based on Transport as a Service (TaaS) and includes a vehicle purpose-built for autonomous driving, a virtual driver, required infrastructure, operations and uptime support as well as a cloud solution that controls the transport system and manages logistics flows. The solutions developed by Volvo Autonomous Solutions are tailor-made for each customers’ needs and intended to make their operations more safe, productive and sustainable. 

 

About Rio Tinto 

Rio Tinto is an industry leader in the supply of responsibly produced materials. 

 

About Volvo Group

The Volvo Group drives prosperity through transport and infrastructure solutions, offering trucks, buses, construction equipment, power solutions for marine and industrial applications, financing and services that increase our customers’ uptime and productivity. Founded in 1927, the Volvo Group is committed to shaping the future landscape of sustainable transport and infrastructure solutions. The Volvo Group is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, employs almost 95,000 people and serves customers in more than 190 markets. In 2021, net sales amounted to SEK 372 billion (EUR 37 billion). Volvo shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.

For further information, please contact:

Ceren Wende
Head of Marketing and Communication, Volvo Autonomous Solutions
Phone: + 46 31 322 4536
E-mail: ceren.wende@volvo.com