Inner Mongolia, China - A fleet of 100 AI-powered autonomous electric mining trucks has been launched at a coal mine in Inner Mongolia by Huaneng Group.
The trucks, called Huaneng Ruichi, are designed to autonomously load and unload mining material in harsh weather conditions. The deployment aims to improve transport efficiency by 20 percent, according to Huaneng Mengdong Chairman Li Shuxue.
The vehicles utilize autonomous driving technology from Huawei Technologies, despite US sanctions. They also incorporate cloud platforms, smart battery swapping, and high-accuracy mapping.
Huawei Cloud CEO Zhang Pingan stated the trucks use 5G-Advanced (5.5G) for enhanced connectivity. This technology offers improved download speeds of up to 10 Gbps and upload speeds of 1 Gbps.
The initiative aligns with China's push to integrate AI and advanced communications into traditional industries. It also supports the development of key technologies like electric vehicles and 5G.