EACON Autonomy Deploys on Lovol EVs & KNOW-HOW Methanol Trucks in Xinjiang

June 14, 2025 – EACON, a Chinese autonomous driving technology provider, continues to expand its footprint in the global mining industry with two new fleet deployments in Xinjiang Province. The company's ORCASTRA autonomous haulage system has been integrated into Lovol Heavy Industry's all-electric LT130i trucks and KNOW-HOW's methanol range-extended NKH150i dump trucks, underscoring a trend toward multi-energy, multi-OEM autonomy solutions.

EACON's 3,000+ Truck Milestone

EACON recently announced it has delivered autonomous driving systems for over 3,000 mining trucks worldwide. The company's strategy of working with a diverse range of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) – including Tonly Heavy Industries, LGMG, Yutong, XCMG, Zoomlion, Sinotruk, and now Lovol and KNOW-HOW – has allowed it to penetrate various mine types and energy configurations. The Xinjiang projects highlight EACON's ability to adapt its technology to both battery electric and methanol powertrains.

Lovol LT130i: Pure Electric Autonomy for Open-Pit Coal Mines

A groundbreaking ceremony and delivery event took place at a large open-pit coal mine in Xinjiang, where Lovol Heavy Industry (a subsidiary of Shandong Heavy Industry, controlled by Weichai) handed over a fleet of LT130i 90-tonne-class battery electric autonomous mining trucks. Lovol says the trucks are designed for harsh working conditions, delivering three core value propositions:

• Zero-emission operation: The trucks rely on a mature three-electric system (battery, motor, controller), achieving zero fuel consumption and zero exhaust emissions. This aligns with China's "dual carbon" goals and green mine construction standards. Large-capacity power batteries support high-intensity, uninterrupted transfer operations within the mining area.
• Full autonomy with EACON system: The LT130i is equipped with the ORCASTRA intelligent driving system, which integrates a high-precision drive-by-wire chassis, AI autonomous learning, integrated vehicle control, and vehicle-road collaboration. This enables fully unmanned operations, including autonomous loading/unloading, obstacle avoidance, and cloud-based intelligent dispatch. According to Lovol, the system reduces risks for personnel, optimizes scheduling routes, and improves overall transportation efficiency.
• Durable heavy-duty chassis: The truck features a double-layer high-strength main beam frame, offering outstanding bending and load-bearing capacity. Reinforced oil-pneumatic suspension and high-strength balance shaft suspension are installed front and rear for excellent shock absorption. The thickened wear-resistant truck body ensures continuous high-intensity operations around the clock, with low failure rates and high equipment uptime.

The project team had previously deployed Lovol MIT100HT trucks at the same mine, validating the stability of unmanned dispatch and the energy-saving benefits of electrification. Lovol reports that the reliability and intelligent operation performance have received high recognition from the customer.

KNOW-HOW NKH150i: Methanol Range-Extended Autonomy

Also in Xinjiang, 20 KNOW-HOW NKH150i driverless methanol range-extended wide-body dump trucks were recently delivered. This additional order follows six months of successful on-site operation of the first batch of NKH150i vehicles. KNOW-HOW, based in Shuozhou, Shanxi Province, with R&D centers in Tianjin, Shenyang, and Changzhou, has developed a proprietary methanol range-extended power architecture and a "Zhichao" electronic power tracking algorithm for heavy-duty climbing and long-term continuous operation. The algorithm achieves intelligent power allocation, resulting in a 30% reduction in energy consumption compared to similar vehicles, according to the company.

The integration of EACON's ORCASTRA autonomy with KNOW-HOW's new energy trucks has been accelerating. The unmanned transportation system has been operating stably for half a year under harsh conditions, including heavy loads and long ramps in the Gobi mining area, with availability reaching ≥95%.

Industry Implications

These deployments illustrate the growing maturity of autonomous mining solutions that are not limited to a single energy type. "EACON's flexible approach – working with both battery electric and methanol range-extended platforms – positions it well to serve mines that are transitioning to lower-carbon operations," says Dr. Li Wei, a mining technology analyst at Beijing-based consultancy Green Mining Insights. "The 3,000-truck delivery milestone is a strong signal that autonomous haulage is moving from pilot projects to mainstream adoption in China's open-pit mines."

The Xinjiang projects also demonstrate that Chinese OEMs are increasingly embracing autonomy as a standard feature rather than an add-on. Lovol and KNOW-HOW are both incorporating EACON's system as a core component of their new energy trucks, which could accelerate the shift toward zero-emission, autonomous mining fleets globally.