AutomotiveNov 13, 2026, 3:01 PM UTC·2 min read

60 driverless electric trucks now run a Tibet copper mine at 5,400 m

Chinese firm EACON has put 60 battery-powered, self-driving trucks to work across the Jiebola copper mine in Tibet, at roughly 5,400 metres above sea level.

A fleet of driverless electric haul trucks working in an open-pit copper mine high in the Tibetan mountains. — Image: اليوم السابع

Sixty electric trucks with nobody behind the wheel are now hauling copper at about 5,400 metres in Tibet, where the thin air is hard on both engines and people.

The Chinese mining-technology company EACON says it has taken a fleet of 60 battery-powered autonomous trucks to full operation across the Jiebola copper mine. The mine is run by Tibet Julong Copper. According to the company, it is the first project in the world to rely entirely on self-driving battery-electric vehicles at a mine above 5,000 metres.

What the driverless trucks changed at Jiebola

EACON reports that the need for drivers fell by 80%. Actual working hours per day rose by 16%, which means the trucks spend more of the day moving copper. The company also expects the electric fleet to cut carbon emissions by about 12,000 tonnes a year compared with conventional haulage.

Those are the company's own figures, and the project is young. Nothing has been published yet on what the conversion of the Jiebola fleet cost. There is also no timetable for bringing self-driving trucks to other high-altitude sites in the wider portfolio of Zijin Mining.

Why a Tibet mine matters for autonomous trucks

Autonomous haul trucks are not new in mining, but altitude is a hard test. Less oxygen is tough on workers, which is part of the appeal of cutting the number of drivers needed. Electric trucks also avoid burning diesel in the same thin air.

If the savings in emissions and labour hold up over a full year of continuous running, Jiebola could become a reference case for miners weighing similar moves at copper and gold sites high in the mountains, in South America or Central Asia. For now it is a single mine with one set of promising numbers, reported by the company that built the system.

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Tags:eaconautonomous trucksminingtibetelectric vehiclesjiebola