No pit stops: Chinese coal mine makes big upgrade with autonomous electric trucks

In north China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region, home to the country’s largest coal reserves, a vast open-pit mine cuts deep into the earth, shrouded in clouds of dust. Winters here are long and brutal, with temperatures plunging to as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius (minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit).

In older, more traditional days, hundreds of truck drivers, bundled in heavy winter gear, had to brave icy roads and the risk of frostbite as they hauled loads through the pit. When dense fog and snow rolled in, visibility could fall so low that drivers had to stop work for fear of a fatal crash.

Today, however, an observer at the edge of the same pit could see a convoy of electric mining trucks rumble deep into the mine. A closer look would reveal something remarkable: no one behind the wheel.

This is the scene in Yimin – one of the five largest open-cast coal mines in China – which launched the world’s first large-scale fleet of cabless, electric autonomous mining trucks in May last year.

More than a year on, the performance of the 100-vehicle fleet offers a chance to assess how the technology has fared beyond the pilot stage – and whether it can be scaled up further to help upgrade China’s traditional energy sector.

“The autonomous electric trucks have helped us cut operating costs, improve safety and increase efficiency,” said Zhao Yaozhong, deputy manager for technology at the mine.