Close collaboration and shared design and development between mining equipment OEMs and autonomous driving tech majors is today the norm in China. It allows the OEMs to provide a factory fitted AHS solution, often in combination with a hybrid or battery electric powertrain; plus it reduces cost and risk in going to market for the mining AHS companies – most of whom are still making significant losses as they manoeuvre to try and ensure system development and supply keep up with unprecedented demand and growth. For miners and contractors it simplifies the process in dealing with one unified solution.
These relationships are not exclusive – for example majors like EACON and CiDi are working with a range of truck OEM companies like Tonly, Yutong, XCMG and LGMG depending on project location, existing relationships with the mining company or contractor, pricing and strategic or commercial reasons, plus sometimes proximity – for example CiDi and Zoomlion work closely and are both based in Changsha. In addition to working with LGMG, Boonray also has a close relationship with Tonly, for example. Plus things are further complicated by the fact that some of the major equipment OEMs and mining companies are major investors and owners in the AHS tech companies.
Recently, the launch ceremony for the RTE156 unmanned battery electric mining truck, a new model jointly developed by Lingong Group (LGMG) and Boonray Technology, was held. The RTE156 the two companies says was developed through close collaboration and joint development, marking a new stage in their cooperation in the field of intelligent mining equipment.
LGMG was established in 2012 and is headquartered in Jinan, Shandong. It is a high-tech equipment manufacturing enterprise integrating the R&D, manufacturing, and sales of construction machinery. The company is one of the world’s top 50 construction machinery manufacturers and is a leader in global wide-body mining truck sales.
Boonray Technology is a leader in all electric autonomous mining trucks, with a fully self-developed L4-level autonomous driving system, drive-by-wire chassis redundancy technology, and an intelligent dispatch platform. It is also a major domestic provider of integrated charging and battery swapping systems for mining trucks.
Relying on LGMG’s manufacturing advantages and channel resources in the mining machinery sector, Boonray’s autonomous driving technology will be able to cover a wider range of mining scenarios more quickly, providing customers with integrated solutions from equipment to operations.
With the continuous advancement of intelligent mining policies and the increasing maturity of autonomous driving technology in mining areas, the companies say that the large-scale application of unmanned mining trucks is accelerating. The collaboration they argue provides the mining industry with a true manufacturing plus technology approach. “In the future, both parties will continue to deepen cooperation in technology research and development, product iteration, and market expansion, jointly helping China’s mining industry achieve a safe, efficient, and green intelligent transformation.”
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