A new power generation

The introduction of Lithium Iron-Phosphate (LFP) batteries for Sandvik underground BEV drills offers miners significantly improved performance underground, combined with the most stable battery chemistry on the market.

LFP batteries are robust and purpose-built for harsh mining environments while retaining the same level of safety as Sandvik’s existing battery technology.

“Sandvik has been the leader in battery-electric underground drilling since launching the industry’s first BEV – Sandvik DD422iE – in 2016,” says Marko Roivas, Product Line Manager, Underground Drilling. “Now, we are unveiling the most significant development in underground drilling battery technology with this new LFP battery.”

During field testing at Agnico Eagle’s Kittilä mine in northern Finland, operators were able to achieve 50 percent further tramming distance and 20 percent more speed in uphill tramming. Two onboard battery packs offer 36 percent more usable energy than the existing battery technology, and charging time was reduced by 55 percent during the testing period.

“We saw remarkable improvements 
in performance during the field testing, including significant increases in battery tramming distance and speed, which has been one of the biggest hurdles to implementing BEV machines in operations with long declines,” 
says Roivas.

“LFP batteries are known for their high safety margins, tolerance for thermal runaway, longevity, durability, and abundant availability of cell metals. LFP batteries also do not require pre-heating prior to use.”

When paired with Sandvik underground drills, miners will continue to enjoy the established benefits of battery-electric drilling; including 
zero emission operations, Sandvik’s Charging While Drilling technology, off-grid drilling and bolting, and reduced heat and noise generation. In addition to the health and environmental benefits of battery-electric drilling, miners can also reduce operational costs by using their existing ventilation and electrical infrastructure.

LFP battery technology will be available first on Sandvik DD422iE development drills, with testing underway for Sandvik DL422iE production drills and Sandvik DS412iE bolters. Sandvik expects to offer LFP batteries as standard from 2025. Sandvik will also introduce LFP battery retrofit kits for customers with Sandvik BEV underground drills with the current Sodium Nickel (SoNick) batteries.