Huawei & Huaneng: Cleaner Coal Mining with Autonomous EVs
Coal is vital to the social and economic development of many countries, providing a stable source of power for growing industries.
To boost the safety and efficiency of coal mining operations, a fleet of 100 Huaneng Ruichi autonomous electric mining trucks have begun operations at the Yimin open-pit mine in Inner Mongolia, China.
The fleet has been deployed through a joint innovation project between Huaneng Inner Mongolia Eastern Energy, Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group, Huawei and State Grid Smart Internet of Vehicles.
This mine has become the worldâs first to achieve large-scale vehicle-cloud-network synergy, greatly improving its production safety and setting a new standard for intelligent mining.
Li Shuxue, Chairman of Huaneng Inner Mongolia Eastern Energy Co., Ltd., said that the company is actively implementing the new national energy security strategy and working to drive an energy transition in mining transportation.
As a key part of these efforts, it is replacing fuel vehicles with electric ones to build safer, more intelligent and greener mines.
About the Huaneng Ruichi trucks
The Huaneng Ruichi trucks deployed have set three new records for autonomous electric mining trucks:
- Largest payload
- Fastest running speed
- Lowest operating temperature
Each truck is designed to carry 90 tonnes and function efficiently in harsh climate conditions down to -40°C.
Alongside this, the trucks can surpass the operational efficiency of manual trucks by delivering up to 120% of comprehensive operational output.
The ecological impact of the trucks extends beyond the mine.
The area around the Yimin mine is rich in biodiversity with wetland, grassland and shrubland according to research from the China University of Mining and Technology.
Removing emissions from vehicles in the area could help to prevent harm to nearby ecosystems.
Autonomous truck operations
Huawei Cloud's Commercial Vehicle Autonomous Driving Cloud Service (CVADCS) plays a crucial role in enabling these advancements.
By utilising a crowdsourced map for real-time location updates, this service minimises wait times and facilitates fast route optimisation, thus improving the overall operational efficiency of mining trucks.
These are the first autonomous mining trucks in China without a driverâs cabin, keeping personnel safely away from equipment hazards and harsh environments.
Zhang Ping'an, Executive Director of Huawei and CEO of Huawei's Cloud Computing Business Unit, noted that Huawei has developed AI algorithms for open-pit mining.
These algorithms enable precise sensing for autonomous vehicles and efficient collaboration on the cloud, which is uniquely suited to accelerating the coal mining industry's transition from manual to intelligent operations.
Impact of 5G-Advanced on Yimin Mining
A 5G-Advanced (5G-A) network has been deployed in the area to provide network coverage that is precise enough for autonomous driving routes.
This network helps to support smooth vehicle-cloud synergy.
Yimin is the first open-pit mine powered by G5-A, achieving 500 Mbps uplink and just 20ms latency.
This network supports HD video backhaul alongside cloud-based dispatching of the autonomous mining trucks.
This advanced 5G tech is set to support 24/7 operations for more than 300 of these vehicles in the future.
Huawei plans to continue working with these partners to transform and upgrade equipment, building mines with lower environmental impact.
Explore the latest edition of Energy Digital Magazine and be part of the conversation at our global conference series, Sustainability LIVE.
Discover all our upcoming events and secure your tickets today.
Energy Digital is a BizClik brand
