Slide 1. Introduction.
The class develops the Huaneng case: The world's first electrified and autonomous mining fleet, and the implications for fleet management.
Slide 2. The Huaneng case.
- The world's first electrified and autonomous mining fleet.
China has launched the first fleet of electric and autonomous mining trucks. They are powered entirely by renewable energy, with the aim of reducing emissions in a highly polluting sector.
The downside is that they transport coal, an energy fuel that is not exactly environmentally friendly. China remains the world's largest producer and consumer of coal, and although renewables set a record for electricity production last year, more than half of its mix comes from this fossil fuel.
China continues to rely on coal to produce electricity, although less and less. In 2024, fossil fuels accounted for 62% of the energy mix, compared to 38% from low-carbon sources, including renewables. In addition, China is the world's largest emitter of methane from coal mines. This autonomous electric truck aims to do its bit to reduce emissions from mining.
Huaneng Group has deployed this fleet of 100 trucks that load and unload coal without anyone at the controls, and they hope to have 300 trucks operating within the next three years.
They have done so at the Yimin open-pit coal mine in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, which is operated by this company.
Powered by an advanced 5G network, the mine has become the world's first open-pit mine to achieve large-scale synergy between vehicles and networks for autonomous driving routes, enabling seamless communication between the vehicle and the cloud. This has significantly improved production safety and set a new benchmark for smart mining.
These zero-emission autonomous trucks have been developed entirely in China and promise to serve as a scalable model for modernizing traditional mining. In addition to eliminating the need for drivers, which means working tirelessly while saving costs, they claim to be 20% more efficient than diesel trucks and will avoid some 48,000 tons of CO2 emissions.
- No one behind the wheel, interchangeable batteries, and extreme cold.
The truck is the ZNK95 from Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group-XCMG. Its specifications highlight that it is capable of transporting 85 metric tons of coal. It also details that it is powered by two electric motors fed by a 509 kWh battery. Neither the power nor the range are indicated.
This vehicle, designed without a cab, operates autonomously in extreme environments, including temperatures as low as -40 °C, where conventional diesel vehicles would struggle to function.
The ZNK95 integrates a sophisticated autonomous driving system that combines environmental perception, decision-making, planning, vehicle control, and communication. In addition, it is capable of diagnosing faults and scheduling preventive maintenance, optimizing its performance and minimizing downtime.
According to Huaneng, the system has been developed entirely in China, reducing dependence on imported core technologies.
XCMG uses Huawei technology for its autonomous driving system, which employs millimeter-wave radar, visual computing, and artificial intelligence. It also features 5G connectivity and real-time safety monitoring from a control center.
Huawei Cloud provides the Commercial Vehicle Autonomous Driving Cloud Service (CVADCS), which uses a collaborative map to update the operational location in real time. This enables rapid route optimization, reduces waiting times, and improves operational efficiency, maximizing the benefits of collaborative truck fleet operations.
Huawei has provided artificial intelligence algorithms for open-pit mining, enabling accurate detection for autonomous vehicles and efficient cloud collaboration, which is particularly well suited to accelerating the transition of the coal mining industry from manual to intelligent operations.
In addition, it does not charge as such: a battery replacement system has been chosen, allowing it to be fully charged in six minutes. This makes the task easier logistically, as they do not have to stop for long hours to recharge. These batteries are charged solely with renewable energy: specifically, photovoltaic energy. Thus, it means zero emissions not only when performing its task, but also when recharging.
Compared to a diesel mining truck, this is a significant advance, as refueling can take more than half an hour depending on the tank size and pump flow rate.
XCMG is a giant in the construction machinery industry and has developed a complete range of heavy equipment powered by interchangeable batteries developed in collaboration with BYD. This pioneering technology allows 400 kWh battery packs to be exchanged in just three minutes, matching the refueling times of diesel vehicles and marking a milestone in the sector's efficiency.
This innovative solution is not limited to off-road machinery. XCMG is also integrating this technology into on-road trucks, expanding the possibilities for cleaner and more sustainable heavy transport.
XCMG's battery swapping technology, the result of a strategic alliance with BYD, has already been field-tested with the delivery of more than 1,500 XG2 EX630S trucks in China. This demonstrates the maturity and reliability of this solution, which is ready for large-scale implementation.
Temperatures in Hulunbuir are quite extreme: the annual average is 0.2°C. But this ZNK95 is said to have proven performance in extreme cold: down to minus 40°C. This is remarkable, as batteries suffer particularly at sub-zero temperatures. The solution used in these trucks to achieve this is not detailed.
This success story is an example of how digital and intelligent technologies can drive high-quality development in the mining industry. It is not just a flagship project demonstrating the innovative integration of 5G, the cloud, artificial intelligence, and new energy technologies, but also an exploration of how artificial intelligence can be used to address challenges in specific industry scenarios.
- Implications for fleet management.
Autonomous vehicles are viable in fleets that operate in enclosed, outdoor areas with good 5G coverage, such as mining fleets, container ports, airports, or logistics platforms.
It is essential that vehicles be electric in order to use autonomous vehicles.
Electric vehicles are more geared towards connectivity and integration with other systems, which facilitates autonomous driving and data exchange, in addition to the fact that response time is almost immediate due to 5G.
Electrification is a good opportunity to implement autonomous vehicles in a fleet at the same time.
The fleet can be electrified first, followed by the autonomous vehicle, but electric vehicles must be adapted to autonomous technology. If both are done at the same time from the outset, electric vehicles with autonomous technology already integrated can be purchased.
The best battery charging option for electric vehicles with high capacity, such as those used in mining, is battery swapping. The battery can be changed in 1-2 minutes and recharged slowly so as not to degrade the battery.
In addition to the higher cost of electric vehicles, there is also the cost of autonomous technology.
Driver salaries are one of the highest costs in a fleet. In an autonomous fleet, they do not exist, but qualified technicians in autonomous vehicle technology are needed, as well as a control center to monitor that the vehicles are operating properly.
Slide 3. Thank you for your time.
The class has developed the Huaneng case study: The world's first electrified and autonomous mining fleet, and the implications for fleet management, see you soon.
Download the audio
