EACON Mining and Julong Copper have deployed 60 fully autonomous battery-electric haul trucks at China’s Zhibula copper mine in Tibet, operating at an altitude exceeding 5,400 metres. The companies say the project represents the world’s first fully autonomous operation of electric mining vehicles above 5,000 metres.
The vehicles began operating at the mine in September 2025, initially with human drivers while EACON validated its autonomous driving technology under local conditions. According to the company, safety drivers were no longer required after two weeks of testing.
Autonomous operations expanded progressively. By March 2026, 52 trucks were operating without drivers on a regular basis. The entire fleet of 60 vehicles reached autonomous standard operations across the mine by the end of September.
Autonomous Operations in Extreme Conditions
The high-altitude environment presents challenges for both vehicles and autonomous systems. Low atmospheric pressure and oxygen levels, strong ultraviolet radiation, snowfall and repeated freeze-thaw cycles affect operating conditions.
Wet and icy roads, snow reflections and steep transport routes also complicate environmental sensing and vehicle control. EACON uses multiple sensor inputs and adaptive vehicle control systems to address these conditions.
Automation also reduces the amount of time personnel need to spend working in the mine’s oxygen-poor environment.
EACON estimates that the deployment has reduced driver requirements by approximately 80% while increasing effective daily operating time by 16%. The company has not released detailed operational data supporting these figures.
Electric Fleet Targets Lower CO₂ Emissions
Combining autonomous technology with battery-electric propulsion is expected to reduce emissions from mining operations.
EACON estimates that the 60 electric trucks will avoid approximately 12,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually. However, the company has not disclosed battery capacities, charging specifications or vehicle energy consumption.
The Zhibula mine is operated by Julong Copper, a subsidiary of Chinese mining group Zijin Mining. The group has already introduced battery-electric heavy-duty vehicles at its neighbouring Julong Copper mine.
These include 140-tonne-payload electric haul trucks developed by Zijin Longking. According to the company, the vehicles transport more than 2,000 tonnes of material daily and consume over 17% less energy than comparable conventional trucks.
In August 2026, Zijin Longking also presented the ZL230E, a battery-electric mining truck with a 230-tonne payload capacity, an approximately 1,400 kWh battery and 1.6 MW of drive power. Zijin aims to replace conventional mining trucks with electric alternatives within three years.
EACON Also Automates Existing Diesel Trucks
Alongside the Zhibula deployment, EACON is working to retrofit 18 conventional NTE240 haul trucks at the neighbouring Julong Copper mine with autonomous driving technology.
The vehicles belong to the 220-tonne class and are being gradually tested for driverless operation, with some already operating autonomously.
The two projects demonstrate different approaches to mining automation. At Zhibula, EACON combines battery-electric propulsion with autonomous operation, while at the neighbouring mine it is adapting existing diesel-powered trucks.
The company’s control architecture is designed to operate independently of the vehicle manufacturer, allowing autonomous technology to be applied across different truck platforms.
The projects highlight how electrification and automation can address separate challenges in large-scale mining: reducing vehicle emissions and limiting personnel exposure to demanding working environments.