A fleet of 100 unmanned electric haul trucks has started operations at the Yiming Open-pit Coal Mine in north China's Inner Mongolia, improving efficiency and reducing costs thanks to advanced digital and intelligent technologies.
Working around-the-clock, these smart, self-guided trucks can boost the mine's waste rock transportation efficiency by 20 percent with the help of sensors and a vehicle-cloud network.
"For example, if the trucks encounter cattle or sheep while running, they can detect the animals from about 100 meters. This mainly enabled by the four millimeter-wave radars, five lidars, and six vision cameras mounted on each vehicle. Through independent perception and decision-making, the trucks can take active safety measures like emergency braking or detouring upon detecting obstacles or foreign objects," said Shu Yingqiu, manager of the mine.
Geographical data collected by the trucks will be uploaded to create a constantly updated map, enabling all trucks to optimize their routes based on real-time road conditions.
"The open-pit mine has a constantly changing map, especially in loading and dumping areas. When one truck detects an obstacle, it remains invisible to other vehicles. After the cloud platform has been built, the 100 trucks share a vision and can all quickly adjust their routes accordingly," said He Wei, a manager of the unmanned truck project.
Moreover, these electric haul trucks are estimated to save the mine more than 15,000 tons of diesel fuel a year.
"Annual energy costs traditionally account for over 40 percent of waste rock transportation expenses. Taking Yimin as an example, the cost of transporting waste rock is about 12 yuan (about 1.67 U.S. dollars) per cubic meter using conventional trucks. However, with this electric solution, our calculation is less than seven yuan per cubic meter," said Li Shuxue, chairman of the Huaneng Inner Mongolia Eastern Energy Company.
The Yiming Open-pit Coal Mine plans to expand the fleet with another 100 driverless trucks for coal transportation.
"Transportation constitutes the largest operational workload in most open-pit mines. That's why a major portion of open-pit mine going-intelligent efforts concentrate on unmanned haul trucks," said Wang Guofa, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
The total number of unmanned haul trucks deployed in open-pit mines across China was around 2,500 in 2024, and the figure is expected to reach 5,000 this year, representing a market size of 20 billion yuan (about 2.78 billion U.S. dollars), according to the China National Coal Association.
North China mine deploys fleet of 100 unmanned electric haul trucks
The Iranian government is focusing on public concerns and maintaining stable supplies of essential goods amid recent protests, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a televised interview on Sunday.
In the city of Karaj, northwest of the capital Tehran, daily life has largely continued as normal. A video filmed by a local resident on Sunday shows food stores open and grocery shelves fully stocked.
"This is the block near my home, and there are some food stores here. Daily life continues here. Last night we did not see many protests in Karaj. Right now the city is very safe. This is a grocery store close to my home. All the food is available; nothing is in shortage. Here are noodles and different types of beans. Here are dairy products, cheese, and yogurt. I also checked other grocery stores and didn't see any shortages. Everything is available," said local resident Ali Reza.
Iranian officials have described recent disturbances as acts orchestrated by the "enemy," including some carried out by well-trained and armed "terrorists." The incidents have caused casualties among security personnel and civilians, as well as property damage.
The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani has directed authorities to severely punish the "terrorists."
Meanwhile, Iran's police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said on Sunday that the police had raised alert levels and arrested several leaders of the troublemakers during the operations on Saturday.
President Pezeshkian noted in the interview that the normal demands of the Iranian people are reasonable and justified, but they must realize that triggering riots and carrying out terrorist acts are the enemy's attempts to undermine the country. He urged the public to remain vigilant.
Also on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that Tehran would regard U.S. and Israeli bases and facilities in the Middle East as "legitimate targets" if Washington takes military action against Iran. His remarks followed media reports saying U.S. President Donald Trump is "seriously considering authorizing a strike" against Iran.
Iranian state media reported that at least 109 members of Iran's security forces have been killed in clashes since the protests began 14 days ago. Meanwhile, human rights groups based outside the country said the number of protesters killed has exceeded 200, though the figure could not be independently verified.
The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and sanctions imposed by the United States.
Iranian president says government focusing on ensuring supplies amid protests
