Battery Electric Use Of China Autonomous Truck Solution Soar

Autonomous solution for mining vehicle supplier EACON has announced a rapid rise in the number of battery-electric trucks equipped with its Orcastra autonomous haulage solution.

The number of battery-electric installations of its autonomous haulage system has increased from 800 in March 2026 to over 1500 in early September.

The increase in battery-electric installations means that approximately 42% (or 1,500) of EACON’s total installed fleet of around 3,500 trucks are now battery-electric powered. Around 41% of EACON’s installed fleet are diesel hybrid electric vehicles, while conventional trucks account for less than 1% of the fleet.

China-based EACON notes that the majority of the installations have occurred among OEMs serving EACON’s domestic Chinese mining companies. 

One of EACON's emerging OEM partners is China based construction equipment manufacturer, XCMG. Over 260 XCMG mining trucks are already operating with EACON's autonomous haulage solution in China across mining projects spanning a range of commodities, with orders for more than 100 additional trucks set to be deployed.

However, Norton Gold Fields now operates six retrofitted Komatsu trucks equipped with the Orcastra system at its Golden Cities operations.

This follows the initial success of trialling two retrofitted Komatsu HD1500 truck at the mine, in a successful collaboration between EACON, Australian service provider Thiess and the mine owner. 

"This milestone demonstrates the potential for retrofit autonomous haulage to be safely introduced into active Australian gold mining operations,” comments Wei Lin, CEO of Norton Gold Fields. “The project has progressed in a structured and measured way, with safety and operational readiness at the forefront."

In August 2026, EACON announced plans to collaborate more closely with XCMG in order to offer solutions to Australia's mining sector. 

"Australia is an important market for mining technology, with high expectations for safety, reliability and local capabilities. By combining XCMG's mining equipment and local presence with EACON's autonomous haulage technology, we see an opportunity to explore integrated solutions suited to the Australian market," says Yue Wang, Managing Director of XCMG Australia Technical Centre.

The rising volume of battery-electric installations has allowed EACON to gain greater experience of working with mine operators and OEMs. 

The solution provider notes that autonomy is supporting some of the practical requirements that come with electrification. These challenges range from how to coordinate recharging strategies across large fleets, through to developing and maintaining consistent vehicle control and energy recovery. 

Fleet-wide recharging schedule coordination

EACON notes that scheduling recharging for mining vehicles can be complicated by the need to maintain loader availability during operational hours, particularly for mines that operate continuously. 

Such considerations are factored into EACON’s fleet management technology solution, along with battery levels, predicted energy consumption, charging station availability and production requirements. 

At CHN Energy’s Zhundong Open-Pit Coal Mine, 120 battery-electric trucks equipped with EACON’s Orcastra system operate with 28 charging points. The advantages of coordinating fleet-wide recharging schedules is that shared charging infrastructure can be managed while delivering continuous haulage.

Battery-electric autonomous haulage in challenging conditions

Eacon also notes that it has experience of operating its autonomous operating system at scale in challenging mining environments.

Eacon's autonomous driving technology combines 360º perception with distributed braking and adaptive vehicle control to support stable operation under these conditions.

Having successfully operated mining vehicles under these conditions, Eacon’s autonomous haulage system has demonstrated that its technology can operate safely even in conditions such as low atmospheric pressure, extreme cold, snow and freeze-thaw cycles.

Eacon has supplied its solution to a fleet of 60 battery-electric autonomous trucks at Zijin Mining’s Julong Copper Mine. The fleet is in regular operation at the high altitude mine, with an attendance rate of more than 90%. 

Elsewhere, EACON announced an expansion at China Baowu Steel Group’s Taihe Iron Ore Mine in March 2026, adding autonomy to 12 further battery-electric trucks following more than a year of operation with the initial six.

Together, these deployments show battery-electric autonomy progressing from individual deployments to larger fleets operating across different commodities and mine environments.

Energy Recovery in Battery-Electric Haulage

Autonomous vehicle control can also make energy use across the haul cycle more consistent and measurable. Compared with manual operation, where driving behaviour can vary between operators, autonomous control enables more consistent speed and trajectory planning, helping make energy consumption more predictable.

Battery-electric haul trucks can also recover energy during deceleration and downhill travel through regenerative braking, reducing reliance on mechanical braking and helping improve overall energy efficiency.

At Shougang Group’s Shuichang Iron Ore Mine, results published in February 2026 reported more than 11m tonnes hauled and approximately 386,000 kWh of energy recovered through regenerative braking.

Meet the Partners

EACON Mining Technology has developed an autonomous haulage system, with over 3,500 trucks automated, 150m kilometres driven, and over 40 mining projects across multiple commodities. EACON's interoperable ORCASTRA solution integrates with any OEM platform or powertrain, new or existing. Combining 360° perception, distributed architecture, and real-time optimised dispatching, the system enhances safety, boosts productivity, and supports the industry's transition to more intelligent and sustainable mining. The company received an HKEX listing in July 2026.

Norton Gold Fields is an Australian gold producer operating in the Kalgoorlie gold region of Western Australia. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Zijin Gold International, and manages integrated open-pit and underground mining operations, including the Paddington Mill and the Binduli North Heap Leach Project.

Thiess is a global service provider and partners with its clients to deliver sustainable solutions in open-cut and underground mining in Australia, Asia and the Americas. It operates across the mine lifecycle from engineering, mine planning and development, to asset management, extraction, haulage and rehabilitation.

XCMG is a China-based multinational corporation with a comprehensive range of products in the construction machinery industry. Its business covers eight key areas: construction machinery, heavy trucks, mining machinery, sanitation machinery, machinery components, construction, finance, and ICT. XCMG has retained its leading position in China's construction machinery industry for 35 consecutive years and is ranked No.3 globally.