Autonomous Mining Fleets

haul trucks · drills · powertrain · dispatch

Mines run the largest driverless heavy fleets, and nearly all of those trucks burn diesel. Battery-electric haul trucks make charging part of the dispatch plan, and autonomy is what lets a mine schedule it.

Autonomous haul trucks by supplier or fleet, with powertrain: Komatsu had commissioned 1,000 diesel-electric FrontRunner trucks by April 2026; Caterpillar had 690 diesel trucks under MineStar Command at the end of 2024; China Energy Investment runs the largest single fleet, 509 trucks; Fortescue has about 360 battery-electric autonomous Liebherr T 264 trucks on order. The global autonomous haul fleet was 3,832 in July 2025 (GlobalData). Powertrains: diesel for most trucks today; trolley assist on overhead lines for ramps (Komatsu, Hitachi, ABB); battery-electric with a 6 MW charger that refills a T 264 in about 30 minutes (Liebherr, Tonly). AUTONOMOUS HAUL TRUCKS BY SUPPLIER OR FLEET, WITH POWERTRAIN Komatsu, diesel-electric 1,000 Caterpillar, diesel 690 China Energy fleet 509 Fortescue-Liebherr, battery ~360 ordered Global fleet, July 2025: 3,832 (GlobalData) POWERTRAIN OF THE AUTONOMOUS HAUL FLEET Diesel most trucks today Komatsu, Cat, Hitachi Trolley assist overhead lines on ramps Komatsu, Hitachi, ABB Battery-electric 6 MW charger, 30 min Liebherr T 264, Tonly
Global trucks
3,832
Komatsu
1,000
Battery order
~360 trucks
Hub
Fleets

Finding

Autonomous haul trucks are the most proven driverless heavy fleet, and the next step is electrifying them without slowing the haul cycle

The global autonomous haul fleet rose 84% in a year to 3,832 trucks in July 2025 (GlobalData). Komatsu commissioned its 1,000th FrontRunner truck at Barrick's Nevada Gold Mines in April 2026, Caterpillar had 690 at the end of 2024, and China Energy Investment runs the largest single fleet at 509. Almost all are diesel or diesel-electric.

Mining went driverless first because the operator owns a fenced, repetitive site and pays heavily for every person in the pit. Rio Tinto in the Pilbara and BHP have run autonomous trucks for more than a decade, and Chinese suppliers EACON, Waytous, Tonly and LGMG now compete with Komatsu and Caterpillar for new fleets. See Autonomous Fleets and Autonomous Mines for the site view.

Electrification changes the fleet problem. Fortescue ordered about 360 autonomous battery-electric Liebherr T 264 trucks (240 t payload) in a US$2.8 billion deal in 2024, served by stationary chargers of up to 6 MW that refill a truck in about 30 minutes, or up to 3 MWh per stop. A pit running dozens of those trucks needs tens of megawatts of charging, scheduled around the haul cycle so trucks do not queue at the charger. Caterpillar is testing battery 793 XE trucks with BHP and Rio Tinto, Komatsu and Hitachi run trolley-assist lines that feed trucks on loaded ramps, and Chinese mines run battery and battery-swap wide-body trucks from Tonly and SANY. See Mining Electrification.

Machines

Autonomous mining machines by type

Maturity is an ElectronsX assessment.

Autonomous mining machine types
MachineSizeLeading systemsPowertrain todayMaturity
Haul trucks90-400 t payloadKomatsu FrontRunner (930E, 980E); Caterpillar MineStar Command (793, 797, 794 AC); Hitachi; Liebherr T 264; EACON, Waytous, Tonly, LGMG, XCMGDiesel-electric or diesel mechanical; battery and trolley pilotsMature
Blast-hole drillsRotary and down-the-hole rigsEpiroc Pit Viper (autonomous drilling), Sandvik AutoMine Surface Drilling, Caterpillar MD6250 Command, KomatsuDiesel or cable-electricMature at leading sites
DozersD10-D11 class, 30-110 tCaterpillar Command for dozing, KomatsuDiesel or diesel-electric (Cat D11 XE)Supervised, semi-autonomous
Underground loaders (LHDs)10-25 t bucketsSandvik AutoMine, Epiroc Scooptram Automation, Caterpillar R1700 CommandBattery-electric common (Sandvik LH518B, Epiroc ST14 Battery)Mature in fenced zones
Surface shovels and excavators20-100 t bucketsOperator-run with assist; Komatsu and Liebherr remote and assisted loadingCable-electric shovels, diesel or electric excavatorsEarly
Survey robots and dronesQuadrupeds, UGVs, multirotorsBoston Dynamics Spot, Exyn (underground mapping), DJI survey dronesBattery-electricCommercial

Fleet stack

Mining fleet hardware and software stack

Mining fleet stack
LayerExamplesRole
PowertrainDiesel-electric (Komatsu 930E), diesel mechanical (Cat 793F), trolley assist, battery-electric (Liebherr T 264, Tonly and SANY wide-body trucks)Autonomy runs on any powertrain; battery trucks add charging to dispatch
SensorsLiDAR, radar, cameras, GNSS/RTK, IMUsNavigation in dust and darkness; collision avoidance with light vehicles and people
Onboard computeOEM ruggedized controllers; NVIDIA platforms in several Chinese and retrofit kitsPath following, obstacle detection, safe stop
NetworkingPrivate LTE and 5G (Nokia, Ericsson; Huawei in Chinese mines), mesh Wi-FiSite-wide coordination and remote supervision
Fleet managementKomatsu FMS (Modular Mining DISPATCH), Cat MineStar, Hexagon MineOperate, Wenco (Hitachi)Assigns loads, routes and, for battery fleets, charging slots
Planning and digital twinMine planning software, haul-road simulation, drill and blast modelsTests routes and schedules before trucks run them

Adoption

Adoption by machine type, most mature first

Mining fleet adoption
MachineDriversConstraints
Haul trucksProven productivity and safety gains, 24-hour operationHigh capital cost, supplier lock-in, site-by-site commissioning
DrillsHole-placement precision, fewer people at the benchVariable geology, maintenance load
Underground loadersRemoves people from unsupported ground; battery units cut ventilation loadFenced zones only; mixed traffic is hard
DozersRepetitive push cycles, fewer injuriesUneven ground, weather, mixed fleets
Shovels and excavatorsIntegration with autonomous truck queuesComplex digging cycle; mostly operator-assist today

Sources

Sources and scope

Scope
Autonomous Mining Fleets
Sources
GlobalData (2025); Komatsu (2026); Caterpillar; Liebherr and Fortescue (2024); supplier disclosures
Updated
October 2026