MINING TRUCKS
From promise to performance
It is taking longer than many expected or hoped – but large rigid battery and hybrid mining trucks are now running and accumulating real data. Paul Moore reports
The situation with battery electric and hybrid options in large rigid mining trucks today is that things have now shifted from concepts and promises to actual in-field performance of the technology. It may be taking longer than initially expected but taking all battery large trucks as an example, broadly all of the major OEMs involved – Caterpillar, Komatsu, Liebherr, Hitachi Construction Machinery and XCMG are looking at commercial availability of the trucks in some form from 2028, with continued retrofits and further work on pilot projects and protoypes before then. With regard to hybrids, this is more of a mixed group, involving engine majors like Cummins with First Mode and Rolls Royce Power Solutions, plus technology integrator and drive system specialist FLANDERS working with global mining contractor Thiess; Brazil’ s leading mining contractor U & M working with ABB; and of course the big Chinese OEMs.
McMoRan received a unit at its Sierrita mine in Arizona.
So how have these trucks been performing? Caterpillar has released very little information on them – but at The Electric Mine 2026, Thad Litkenhus, VP gave some insights – up to April 2026, these four 793 XE Early Learners had accumulated 4,200 + hours of operation; hauling 1,200 + loads and over 230,000 t; with energy transfer through stationary, dynamic and automated solutions.
He commented on the Early Learner program:“ We put in place that structure with some of our key customers that were on the front end of the learning curve, and recognising … we are going to have to think about how we develop technology and
Cat 793 XE Early Learner truck at BHP Jimblebar
The Komatsu 930E converted to hybrid with Cummins First Mode HEV retrofit kit at Lundin
Mining Caserones
product in a way that’ s very parallel to how we deploy it at the mine site. So when you think about the Early Learner program and where its advanced to today, we built a number of trucks. We’ ve got four of them running at customer sites. We’ ve got another portion of our fleet running at our proving ground settings within Caterpillar walls.”
He added:“ I think since this time last year, we’ ve mobilised to really get those trucks up and running and that movement toward getting them in the operational setting, helping the mining processes and the customers’ learning be put in parallel to the product learning and bringing the feedback look into how does it affect our architecture, and what do we want to do with this platform and how we scale that program going forward?”
When you look at it, we’ re … running up to about 5,000 hours of operation. Obviously that curve is advancing rapidly. We’ ve hauled almost a quarter of a million tons through these trucks, and to the best that we can, a lot of priority one type of testing, a lot of specialised validation that we’ re doing, but also trying to let these trucks get out of the stable and really into the environment of operating in a production setting in the mines as quickly as we can so that process and people training and infrastructure and all the learning that comes with not just the battery on the truck [ but also ] the energy transfer solutions, is really part of the program’ s advancement.”
The Early Learner trucks are equipped not just for stationary charging at a megawatt level but also Cat’ s Dynamic Energy Transfer solution.“ Dynamic Energy Transfer, as we continue to learn and experience it, is bringing significant aspects of vision towards productivity gains, and
Caterpillar’ s Early Learners gaining experience
In December 2025, Australia’ s first Caterpillar 793 XE Early Learner batteryelectric haul trucks arrived at BHP’ s Jimblebar iron ore mine in the Pilbara, marking the start of on-site testing, in collaboration with Rio Tinto, of Caterpillar’ s battery-electric heavy haulage technology in the region that powers the nation’ s economy. This followed Newmont receiving a unit at the Cripple Creek and Victor( CC & V) mine in Teller County, Colorado, in October 2024( CC & V mine was subsequently sold to SSR Mining in 2025); and in 2025 Freeport
44 International Mining | JULY 2026