40 electric and autonomous tipper trucks will be used in a limestone mine located in China’s Shandong province. The vehicles were developed by Yutong Mining Equipment and Eacon, a company specializing in autonomous driving technology, and are not just for trial use. The first of the autonomous e-tipper trucks were delivered in December, with the remaining vehicles set to be delivered by the end of 2023.
The miners will be using the YTK90E tipper truck, which has a load capacity of 60 tons and can handle gradients of up to 40%. It is equipped with LFP batteries totaling 350 kWh and has dimensions of 9,400 x 3,400 x 4,150 meters, an unladen weight of 30 tons, and a load capacity of 34 cubic meters. No information is available on the electric drivetrain.
Yutong Mining Equipment, a subsidiary of Chinese commercial vehicle manufacturer Yutong, has developed electric and autonomous tipper trucks in conjunction with technology company Eacon. The trucks will be used at a limestone mine in China’s Shandong province, with all 40 vehicles set to be delivered throughout 2023.
The project is expected to precede the construction of China’s “largest pure electric driverless transportation smart mine”, according to a report by International Mining. The country’s mining industry is increasingly moving towards zero-emission fleets in line with the national double-carbon strategy.
In November 2022, Canada also introduced a federal tax credit for hydrogen and electric heavy-duty equipment used in the mining and construction industries, as well as charging and refuelling infrastructure.
