Accelerating the electrification of heavy vehicles
Autonomous, battery-electric powered hauling trucks replace diesel fleets to cut emissions and unlock safer, more productive operations.
Web Story
9min
2026-02-25
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<p>The mining industry is moving towards electric powered vehicles to boost productivity and cut emissions. </p>02
<p>Today’s 28,000 haul trucks emit 69Mt of CO₂ annually, making fleet electrification a priority.</p>03
<p>ABB enables this transition with eMine™ solutions - including trolley systems, FastCharge, and high-efficiency drivetrains - to lower emissions and reduce total cost of ownership. </p>Growth of the global dump trucks and mining trucks market
The global dump trucks & mining trucks market1 size is expected to reach US$ 109.25 billion by 2033, from the present US$ 54.42 billion in 2024, with a CAGR of 8.05% during the forecast period 2025-2033. This growth is aligned with the increasing demand for mining operations, infrastructure development, and construction projects worldwide.
At the same time, the demand for minerals and metals continues to rise, driven by advanced manufacturing, growing urbanization and infrastructure development, and the scaling up of energy-transition technologies. In response to the need for greater operational efficiency and rising emissions pressures, electrification of heavy vehicle fleets is seen as a key lever, complemented by advanced automation, increasingly autonomous operations, and AI-enabled systems that improve productivity and support decarbonization.
A new future for heavy vehicles
Autonomous haul trucks and remote operations are now moving into mainstream operations to raise productivity and safety. In addition, telematics, edge analytics and AI can be used to optimize cycle times, energy use and maintenance windows - a major productivity lever as margins tighten. Business models are also changing with equipment manufacturers and miners experimenting with a transition from capex-only sales of plant and equipment to other business models such as equipment-as-a-service, battery life performance contracts and digital performance contracts.
Major trends in decarbonization and electrification in mining
Today, more than 28,000 large mining trucks operate worldwide2, moving billions of tons of ore each year and generating over 69 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Decarbonizing these fleets has long been viewed as one of the most immediate opportunities to cut mining-sector emissions.
Decarbonizing diesel haul trucks
<p>Diesel haul trucks represent the biggest decarbonization leverage point. At many mine sites, diesel haul trucks contribute 30–50 percent of direct (Scope 1) emissions.<sup>3</sup></p>Move towards electrification of heavy haulage
<p>As more heavy-duty electric trucks become available and sales rise worldwide for electric heavy vehicles, mining companies are testing battery-electric haul trucks, battery-ready designs, and trolley-assist systems to reduce their Scope 1 emissions. The industry now needs to scale up. </p>Strengthened ESG, nature-positive and social-license requirements
<p>Investors, regulators and communities expect tangible emissions reduction, biodiversity protection, and measurable community benefits. Some mining companies are now embedding nature-positive frameworks, transparent reporting and responsible technology adoption into heavy-vehicle strategies. </p>Challenges facing the electrification of heavy vehicles
High upfront investments
<p>are required for battery-electric trucks, with long-term business cases shaped by energy prices, costs, carbon-pricing mechanisms and lifecycle performance. </p>Remote sites
<p>may require additional grid capacity or on-site power solutions to support large electric fleets.</p>Mining faces growing demand for skills
<p>in electric power systems, data analytics, software and robotics to support increasingly autonomous operations. </p>Harsh environments
<p>such as dust, temperature extremes and heavy-duty cycles require robust system design and thorough field validation for sensors, batteries and other relevant technologies. </p>Partnering with heavy vehicle OEMs to drive performance
Many OEMs in the heavy vehicle industry face the challenge that performance requirements vary significantly between applications such as drilling, scooping and material hauling and adhering to emission reduction needs. ABB works closely alongside heavy vehicle OEMs to align with their unique requirements and contribute to long-term success. These include low carbon solutions such as electrifying heavy industrial vehicles and also service hubs catering to special application needs. Overall, there is a strong focus on energy efficiency, flexibility, and reliable performance under demanding operating conditions.
ABB’s solutions helping heavy vehicle manufacturers outperform
ABB’s technology has been a core contributor to the efficient, safe and productive operation and electrification of mines for 135 years and continues to build on this heritage and know-how.
ABB eMine™
ABB has been building electric mines since 1981, and with eMine it is pioneering the all-electric mine. ABB eMine™ extends our electrification capabilities to mining trucks through a purposeful framework of methods and integrated electrification, automation and digital solutions, designed to accelerate fleet decarbonization.
The Trolley System and FastCharge are ABB’s flagship solutions for fleet electrification. They provide solutions enabling open, OEM-agnostic standards for charging and automation. By digitally connecting all solutions, they can be monitored and controlled to optimize operations and energy usage in real time.
Electrifying heavy off-highway vehicles
For new-build electric heavy vehicles or retrofits to convert existing fleets from diesel to electric power, ABB has maintained its leading edge approach. Electric drivetrain solutions include Mobile Inverters featuring advanced IGBT topology that boosts motor efficiency and extends equipment life, the fast charging and long lifetime Traction Batteries and Traction Motors, which delivers efficiency, performance, and reliability for heavy EVs in harsh conditions.
Case studies around the world
Sweden
- Sweden
- Canada
- Finland
- Türkiye
Swedish mining company Boliden, a pioneer of sustainable development in mining, is utilizing ABB’s trolley infrastructure for electric mine trucks.
ABB helped Copper Mountain Mining’s sustainable development goals in Canada with 90 percent reduction in mine-site carbon emissions by replacing diesel-powered hauling trucks with electrically powered trucks. This also enabled the trucks to run at twice the speed.
ABB supplied the HES880 Mobile Inverter and other critical components that met our customer Junttan’s demanding requirements for harsh environments, tight schedules, and global reliability. This enabled the successful development of the world’s first electric piling machine.
ABB supported Nuh Cement’s retrofit conversion of their diesel-fueled Euclid R85B haul truck into a fully electric, zero-emission vehicle. The two companies worked together closely to design and build this retrofit project, which is the first time in the world that a vehicle of this size and class type was fully electrified.
Sources:
- ICMM : The art of the possible: How collaboration is driving the transformation of large haul truck fleets
- Research and Markets: Dump Trucks and mining industry report
- ICMM : The art of the possible: How collaboration is driving the transformation of large haul truck fleets
- ICMM : The art of the possible: How collaboration is driving the transformation of large haul truck fleets
Engineered to outrun
Given the opportunities to decarbonize and be more productive, the mining sector is accelerating the shift to autonomous, battery-electric heavy vehicles with ABB`s electrification, automation and digital technologies. By demonstrating how we lower emissions, improve safety and strengthen productivity, we help these sectors outrun-leaner and cleaner.