The AT150, China’s first 100-ton-class dual-way autonomous mining dump truck fueled purely by electricity, was officially put into operation at the South Open-pit Coal Mine of the Inner Mongolia-based subsidiary of State Power Investment Corporation on July 30.
The vehicle, which has a rated payload of 136 tons, integrates three core advantages of pure electric drive, dual-way travel and unmanned operation, and is used mainly for moving coal and rock in open-pit mines.
As for technological innovation, the truck is equipped with China’s first dual-way autonomous driving decision system. Built on a unique design with full electric, forward and reverse drive, as well as all-wheel steering, which does away with the concept of front and back of conventional mining trucks, it can travel in both directions without the need to turn around on narrow working surfaces, thereby substantially improving maneuverability and operational efficiency while carrying heavy loads.
To adapt to the extreme and complex climates of cold-region mines in northern China, the R&D team has cracked the core battery technologies of wide-temperature-range adaptability and, for the first time in China, has equipped such a heavy mining truck with a semi-solid-state power battery. Supporting 3.4-megawatt and 900-volt ultra-fast charging, the battery can operate stably in extreme environments ranging from minus 30 degrees Celsius to 50 degrees Celsius, enabling reliable truck performance amid severe cold and scorching heat.
On-site data shows that the vehicle can deliver remarkable economic and green development benefits. Its energy consumption cost per unit output is 65 percent lower than that of conventional diesel mining trucks of the same tonnage, thus attaining outstanding energy conservation and emission reduction.
The truck can operate continuously for no less than six hours after its battery is fully charged, well meeting the production demands of open-pit mines. It can drastically cut diesel consumption and emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and other pollutants, effectively addressing the long-standing issue of high fossil energy consumption by large mining transport tools.
With regard to intelligence and safety, the truck supports a closed-loop unmanned operation process, covering loading, driving, unloading and parking, as well as intelligent obstacle avoidance. It can liberate operators from harsh working environments and effectively avoid human operational errors and irregular behaviors through a standardized end-to-end intelligent algorithm, ensuring overall mine safety through better equipment management.
(Executive editor: Zuo Shihan)
