Fortescue orders up to 400 giant electric dump trucks from XCMG
The new deal with XCMG complements an agreement between the two companies from November 2024, which involved the delivery of over a hundred electric mining machines, namely battery-electric wheel loaders, bulldozers, watercraft, floating docks and graders for Fortescue’s mining operations in Pilbara. The vehicles, worth around US$400 million, are to be delivered by 2030.
What was missing from the previous contract, however, were mining trucks; huge dump trucks that meet the special requirements of mining. In this area, Fortescue had already teamed up with Liebherr in September 2024 in a mega deal to supply around 360 autonomous giant dump trucks, as well as 55 electric excavators and 60 electric bulldozers. The £2.8 billion contract is the largest deal in the history of the German-Swiss company.
As part of its strategy update, Fortescue has reconfirmed the agreement with Liebherr and emphasised that at least half of its future electric dump truck fleet will consist of Liebherr vehicles. The new contract with XCMG is therefore a supplement to this: Fortescue and XCMG have signed a specific agreement under which XCMG will supply up to half of Fortescue’s future dump truck fleet with 300 to 400 zero-emission 240-tonne vehicles.
However, in its own press release, XCMG only mentions 150 to 200 units. It is possible that the higher range quoted by Fortescue also includes options for additional vehicles that have not yet been formally ordered. However, both companies mention a delivery period between 2028 and 2030. According to XCMG, this is the largest export order for green mining equipment from China to date.
XCMG is likely to have qualified for the sale of the mining trucks to Fortescue with an exciting reference project, among other things: in May, XCMG put a fleet of 100 fully electric and autonomous mining trucks into operation at the Yimin open-cast coal mine in Inner Mongolia (China), the first of their kind in the world. The giant dump trucks from XCMG use special software from Huawei.
As the first autonomous truck for mining in China without a driver’s cab, the vehicle, called ‘Huaneng Ruichi’, prioritises the safety of open-cast mining personnel, who are kept away from the dangers of the equipment and the harsh environment.
It is not yet clear whether the Fortescue order is for this or another model. Fortescue has also not yet announced whether XCMG’s electric dump trucks will operate autonomously.
This article was first published by Florian Treiß for electrive’s German edition
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