At 5,400 metres, autonomous haul trucks solve Zijin Mining’s staffing problem as much as they cut its carbon emissions
Eacon Mining Technology now runs 60 battery-electric autonomous haul trucks across the Zhibula copper mine, operated by Zijin Mining subsidiary Julong Copper at an altitude above 5,400 metres. The companies call it China’s biggest autonomous fleet at a single metal mine site and the first full-site project of its kind above 5,000 metres.
The trucks arrived in September 2025 and first ran with drivers, with validation for driverless running completed in two weeks. Some 52 were working autonomously by March 2026, and the whole fleet followed by the end of September.
Thin air and strong ultraviolet light make it hard to keep a stable workforce at that height, while freeze-thaw cycles, snow glare and steep, busy haul roads complicate sensing and control. Eacon combines data from multiple sensors with adaptive control to cope.
Project data point to an 80% cut in driver requirements and 16% more effective working hours each day, and the electric fleet is expected to avoid about 12,000 tonnes of carbon emissions a year. At this altitude, the staffing gain may matter as much as the emissions saving.
Eacon is also retrofitting 18 diesel NTE240 rigid dump trucks, each rated at 220 tonnes, at the neighbouring Julong Copper Mine, where some already run without drivers. Covering both factory-built electric trucks and converted diesel units supports its pitch that the system works independently of truck brand.
Source: Eacon
Source: www.automotiveworld.com
