EACON expanding battery electric fleet AHS in metallic mines

EACON has expanded its deployment of battery-electric autonomous haulage trucks at the Taihe iron ore mine, which is owned by China Baowu Steel Group, marking it says another step forward in the application of zero-emission autonomous haulage in metal mining operations. 

The latest phase of the project involves 12 additional battery-electric mining trucks – RTE136 models from LGMG – equipped with EACON’s autonomous haulage system. As commissioning progresses, the vehicles will enter fully operational production, operating alongside six autonomous battery-electric trucks that have been running continuously at the site for more than a year.

This deployment supports the mine’s transition toward intelligent and low-emission operations, with the repeat order EACON says reflecting the strong operational performance and growing confidence in autonomous, battery-electric haulage in complex mining environments.

Since the first autonomous battery-electric trucks were commissioned in December 2024, the miner has reported consistent operational results across safety, productivity and utilisation, including zero safety incidents recorded during operations; average monthly haulage output of approximately 430,000 tonne-kilometres; autonomous vehicles handling around 40% of the mine’s raw ore haulage tasks; and an average loaded operating distance of approximately 10,000 kilometres per vehicle. 

These 18 battery-electric trucks at the Taihe iron ore mine contribute to EACON’s rapidly expanding zero-emission fleet. Across global deployments, battery-electric trucks now make up approximately 27% of EACON’s autonomous fleet, alongside 71% hybrid-electric trucks, highlighting the company’s leadership in electrified autonomous haulage. 

“After more than a year of stable production with the initial fleet, this expansion confirms that autonomous electric haulage is ready for long-term deployment in complex metal mining environments,” said Elaine Jin, EACON Australia COO. “We are proud to support our partners as they scale intelligent and sustainable mining operations.”

This iron ore mine is located in China’s southwest at elevations between 1,500 and 1,800 m, and features heavy rainfall, narrow haul roads and frequent intersections. As a result, EACON deployed an autonomous haualge solution suitable for addressing these common challenges within metal mining operations.  

The system combines multimodal perception technologies with AI-based trajectory prediction, allowing autonomous trucks to operate reliably in extreme weather, GPS-denied environments, mixed-traffic operations, and narrow haul roads. At the system level, a multi-layer safety redundancy system and distributed control framework also help ensure reliable operation while maintaining cost efficiency. With this expansion, EACON says the project demonstrates how autonomous haulage systems can successfully scale in metal mining operations. 

In addition to the Taihe iron ore mine, EACON’s autonomous haulage technology is now operating across several other large metal mining projects, including sites operated by Shougang Group and Zijin Mining, collectively supporting over 100 autonomous mining trucks in metal mining scenarios. 

Looking ahead, EACON plans to continue expanding autonomous haulage deployments in both China and international markets, with a focus on battery-electric fleets, complex operating environments and large-scale production operations.  

The post EACON expanding battery electric fleet AHS in metallic mines appeared first on International Mining.

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