The world of mining equipment is changing more rapidly than ever before. While the fundamentals of load and haul in conventional mining remain unchanged – advances and innovations in autonomy, AI and electrification in particular mean that the mining fleets of the 2030s and 2040s will operate differently than today – primarily at a higher level of intelligence and almost exclusively with green energy powertrains. MINExpo is often the venue where big announcements on new technologies are made but four years is a long time in today’s industry. So, with 2026 being a mid-point between the 2024 and 2028 Las Vegas events – IM Editorial Director Paul Moore had the chance to meet with Caterpillar Inc Resource Industries President Denise Johnson, to discuss where the industry – and Caterpillar – is heading.
Caterpillar Inc Resource Industries President Denise Johnson
Q The demand for battery-powered vehicles and smart devices is creating unprecedented demand for critical minerals like copper, rare earths and lithium – is this also bringing a greater awareness for the importance of mined materials and the equipment and technologies used to extract them in enabling modern lifestyles?
Mining has always been foundational to the global economy – I think that’s true now more than ever, and there isn’t always recognition of that. Modern infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and the technologies that people rely on every day start with the copper, lithium, iron ore and other metals and minerals that our customers produce. It is foundational. I think many people still don’t recognise that and connect the dots. However, we are starting to see some of the tech companies, such as those in the automotive and battery manufacturing sectors, pay attention to mining and, in some cases, make direct investments because it’s critical to their supply chains. Slowly, public awareness of the critical nature of mining is increasing as well. It’s exciting to be a part of that tech value chain in a way that is meaningful to consumers. And it is getting more recognition now than ever before.
Q There is a lot of hype around AI, but it is really impacting all of our lives and more so every day. In mining specifically, it’s already being used in various ways – at Caterpillar, how are you using AI already and how do you see its use and integration going forward?
We use AI every day in our workplace and are leveraging it more and more. We have an internal AI accelerator designed to help Caterpillar operate more effectively and efficiently. We are leveraging AI for scanning and quality improvement. That use case spans from delivering the highest-quality parts off the line through to greater back-office task efficiency. But it’s in technology for customers where AI will have the most impact and power. Earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), we announced an expanded collaboration with NVIDIA to drive innovation across industries through next-generation, AI-enhanced customer solutions and manufacturing systems. We debuted Cat AI Assistant, a proactive partner from desk to dirt that is embedded in many of our digital applications and will soon be available onboard machines. That tool, which helps customers take confident action, was built using NVIDIA Riva open speech models. It’s a great solution today, but the capabilities and features of the technology days are small relative to what they will be years from now. Today AI is being used primarily for task autonomy, but we are very excited about the potential in site autonomy as well. We are using it in our mining performance centres to provide customers with real-time recommendations; plus, utilising AI to look at mine site design and fleet simulation. With Skycatch, we have added more geospatial capabilities into our software as well. Ultimately, this helps us better understand site performance, so we can use our deployed technologies more effectively.
Q Command for hauling is one of the most successful autonomous haulage systems in mining. But AHS is not standing still – mine operators and contractors want more agility and flexibility maybe than they had in the past including mixed autonomous and staffed fleets, as well as mixed brand fleets. How is Caterpillar planning for its next generation of AHS?
Command for hauling continues to set new standards in AHS, but you are right that things are evolving quickly. As such, we are building a completely new autonomy platform that will take the user experience, safety and productivity to a new level. AHS generally takes 18 months from the time we sign a contract with a customer to the time that we deploy it; we want that to take a matter of weeks. Our new AHS will be much easier for customers to implement and use, with fewer change-management requirements. Using things like onboard AI and greater sensor fusion, we are making the machines smarter, more effective and more productive. We also recognise that the cost of autonomy needs to come down – reducing implementation is part of that but also using more cost-effective hardware. Additionally, today our technology is primarily a rules-based system. We are moving towards a more experience-based system where the haul truck learns on every cycle. That is where we are leveraging AI to ensure we achieve the highest productivity possible with minimal stoppages. Our new AHS – to your point – will also be deployed on mixed OEM fleets. We will be able to deploy it on any brand in addition to Caterpillar, which is something that our customers have been asking for. We can do that today, and we are doing it at a major operation in Brazil, but it is a heavier lift now than it will be in the future.
Caterpillar is moving towards a more experience-based AHS where the haul truck learns on every cycle
Q What about more mixing of the autonomous and non-autonomous equipment, and getting away from having to have very distinct AOZs separated from the rest of the mine?
Yes, that is part of the formula as well. We’ll still have a form of AOZ, but inside that we will be able to have fully mixed fleets, enabled by smarter sensors with AI-based object recognition. The autonomous trucks will be able to recognise an object or non-autonomous machine and adapt their routing in real time. On the non-autonomous machine side, collision-avoidance technology will play a key role. Having all this with the right traffic rules in place should mean that, in the future, site workers can focus more on system oversight, maintenance and other high-value work. Plus, our new platform will reduce the operational burden on AHS controllers and excavator operators.
Q Chinese OEM agnostic third party autonomous haulage solutions are becoming much more visible today, and some operators outside of China are trialling them or planning to trial them. Does Caterpillar see this as a challenge or opportunity or both?
It’s both. It is definitely a challenge, and one we take seriously. It’s pushing us to move faster than ever on our own on our next-generation AHS. Overall, we recognise that the AHS space is changing, and we are well-positioned with unique capabilities and experience. We are very focused on staying ahead in this space. We’re speeding up our serial update capabilities. We need to provide changes to AHS software faster and provide customers with the value faster. We do a lot of virtual validation work continuously, rather than pushing an annual software update. We are also working to streamline our traditional approach to development, testing, prototyping, piloting, and finally producing units. I also think there is a very high bar for AHS safety in regions like Australia, Canada and Chile. As Caterpillar, there’s an expectation that our software and our equipment will be safe, proven and validated from day one. We built that expectation over a century of quality deliveries. For us, autonomy isn’t only about moving material more efficiently. It’s about removing people from high-risk tasks and environments while enabling them to focus on the work that creates greater value.
 Q Wide body trucks are making a big impact in the mining market in regions like South America, SE Asia and Africa. Caterpillar itself launched the 707 which has been getting a lot of interest and orders and is built to be rebuilt. Can you provide some background to this and your thoughts on these designs?
The wide body trucks first gained traction in China as a more robust alternative to on-road tipper trucks that were common there. Today, they are expanding into other regions, including Africa and South America. Most of this growth is not coming from traditional rigid truck applications, but from fleets looking for a solution that bridges the gap between highway-based trucks and larger off-highway equipment. If we see wide body trucks replaced, about 60 to 70% of the time, it’s still with an on-highway truck. The other 30-40% is newer designs replacing older wide body truck variants. In the applications where wide body trucks are used, they can provide a solution for customers seeking the right balance of capability, productivity and cost. As the market evolved, we saw an opportunity to deliver a truck built around Caterpillar’s strengths in durability, serviceability and lifecycle value. That led to the Cat 707, which has a Cat engine and transmission and is built to be rebuilt. Building it that way both differentiates us in the market and gives customers a more favorable total cost of ownership payback, even if the initial acquisition cost is higher. I think the 707 is going to be very successful. We’re already tripling capacity at the factory in Qingzhou to meet demand.
Caterpillar is already seeing very strong for its built to be rebuilt wide body truck, the 707
Q Do they have potential in the future to take sales from smaller rigid trucks?
There is potential in some specific applications. But if you have a deep pit or a significant incline, rigid trucks are the best choice. The main OEMs producing wide body trucks in China are looking to supply rigid trucks for that reason. For flatter hauls and less challenging conditions, such as in some quarries, wide body trucks may make sense – and they’re very cost-effective. Plus, their smaller size makes the platform easier to deploy battery and hybrid technologies on, which is part of the reason there is a lot of industry interest.
Q Moving to the battery electric fleet trajectory in mining, for many reasons, has slowed from what might have been initially expected. Do you see things like your Dynamic Energy Transfer (DET) tech, along with the latest models of your diesel electric trucks as enablers?
Yes, the transition to net-zero fleets has altered from a timeline perspective. I think a lot of that has been driven by economics and the realisation of the investment needed to build an electric mine site – including the energy storage requirements and infrastructure. There is still a big focus on electric equipment and technology, but the reality is that until the economics make sense, the mining companies won’t pull for it. However, with the recent uncertainty and unpredictability with diesel, there is some refocusing of efforts. Mining companies still recognise the need for lower emissions. Many of them have been able to hit their 2030 targets already, using strategies and equipment available in the marketplace today, such as our diesel electric trucks and electric excavators. We are getting a huge amount of interest for our DET solution because it has the potential to ease the trajectory to net-zero – starting with conventional diesel electric trucks. It has greater agility and flexibility than a traditional trolley and reduces emissions. It helps increase productivity while preparing the mine for full-battery operation when the time comes. We have DET pilots underway with two mining companies in South America – Codelco and Vale. We’re deploying DET systems with diesel-electric machines and piloting our solution set. We’re also continuing to validate it in our proving grounds, and we seeing really good productivity and durability. We will open the order book for DET by the end of the year, and are very excited about what it can unlock. I think the trend of stepping into technology without making a wholesale shift is one we’ll see more of. It must make economic sense, but it reduces the risk and still brings immediate improvements… and we get to prove it out. While others may develop similar technologies, Caterpillar’s innovative system is protected by numerous patents. We know we are going in the right direction when we see others follow.
Q There have been some references in the press to the final commercial battery electric Cat trucks being quite different from the 793 XE Early Learners – could you comment on that?
The 793 XE is by nature an Early Learner, so, of course, we’re still going to refine the design based on the customer site testing. While there will be no fundamental changes, we’re learning more every day on how the interfaces work. It will be a refinement of what you see with the Early Learner, but not a wholesale, brand new, ground up design. The Early Learners were put together relatively quickly. So refining the designs, reducing costs, and improving the life of the components are a huge focus for our team. And of course, with the batteries themselves, as the technology is moving so quickly – looking at greater power density to reduce weight, and different battery chemistries as they become available.
Q Are ethanol powered mining trucks still an active project – including the work you are doing with Vale? And are hybrids or hybrid retrofits still not on the table for Caterpillar?
We have ongoing work with Vale on ethanol trucks, and that is progressing very well. In fact, we’ll have a truck running in our proving grounds in Arizona later this year, and potentially one running at their site in H1 2027. We are continuing to develop other technologies beyond just battery electric that customers are looking for. Ethanol is a good example; we are still doing a lot of work on other dual fuels as well. HVO is another area we’re currently validating, but it is already available today. For hybrids, we can see applications where they make sense, and some customers are looking at them to reduce emissions for their existing fleets. The team is exploring where we may want to play in that space, so it’s not completely off the table. But hybrid is not a one-size-fits-all solution across every application. For example, we believe a deep pit application would be difficult for a hybrid to work effectively and carry the payload. However, in other applications, especially where you have more downhill hauls, it makes a lot of sense. We are looking at the potential size of that industry and whether it makes sense for us to invest in that technology. We still have to make a call on whether we would want to proceed with it – watch this space.
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