China's first 100-ton-class battery-electric autonomous mining dump truck capable of bidirectional driving entered operation on July 30 at an open-pit coal mine operated by State Power Investment Corporation Limited's Inner Mongolia company.

With a rated payload of 136 metric tons, the truck combines three key technologies – pure electric propulsion, bidirectional driving, and autonomous operation. Designed for coal and overburden transport in open-pit mines, it marks a further milestone in China's push to develop intelligent, electrified, and domestically produced heavy-duty mining equipment.

At a mine in Inner Mongolia, the new vehicle has started heavy-duty operations, moving materials around the site.

Equipped with an advanced autonomous driving system, the truck can complete the entire transport cycle – including automatic loading, autonomous driving, and precise unloading – without human intervention. The system reduces operational risks and improves mine safety.

By replacing traditional diesel engines with a tailored electric drivetrain, the vehicle attains zero emissions during operation, tackling the high fuel use and pollution typical of conventional mining trucks.

To meet the demands of continuous mining operations, the truck adopts a battery charging-and-swapping system paired with semi-solid-state batteries, significantly reducing downtime for recharging.

Its 4×4 all-wheel steering and bidirectional driving design eliminate the need for large turning radii, enabling greater maneuverability in confined mining areas and improving operational efficiency.

Field tests showed that the truck's energy cost per unit of output is about 65 percent lower than that of conventional diesel trucks of the same class.

The vehicle can run continuously for at least six hours on a single charge, while maintaining an overall equipment availability rate of more than 85 percent, meeting the requirements of high-intensity, around-the-clock open-pit mining operations.