From December 5 to 8, 2203, Chinese autonomous driving for mining technology company WAYTOUS had its cabless, autonomous and diesel-free powered CarMo truck on show at the 2023 World 5G Conference in Zhengzhou, Henan Province. CarMo is described as a “new energy resources” form of transport equipment with complete independent intellectual property rights.
It adds that 95% of the key parts are sourced in China. It also highlights the autonomous loading position flexibility that the lack of cab brings and adds that the machine can be used for open-pit metal mines, non-metal mines, bulk cargo terminals and other heavy material transport scenarios. Its transport efficiency is cited as 10% higher than that of a human-operated truck, and that compared to an equivalent capacity truck it can reduce carbon emissions by 1,200 tons per year. It also estimates an 81.9% saving in comprehensive energy consumption costs when going uphill during heavy loads.
The unmanned operation of intelligent mines is a key application for unmanned driving technology in China with companies like WAYTOUS, EACON Mining and TAGE Idriver leading the way with autonomous haulage systems focused on mining. The drivers for these systems are reducing the number of people working in the mines, increasing safety and efficiency, and promoting green and low-carbon transformation of energy.
The CarMo can provide a load capacity of 60 t, and the drive system provides a maximum torque of 20,000 Nm, enabling smooth starting under high loads and meeting a maximum climbing rate of 35%. WAYTOUS says its power module can switch between pure battery electric power and fuel cell hydrogen power according to different usage scenarios and operational economic needs. The 525 Kwh battery pack allows for longer battery life and can cope with loads in various scenarios.
It was back in May 2023 that CarMo was officially launched at a special event in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, a major coal mining region. The vehicle was a major collaboration between institutes and industry. This includes on one side the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the International Advanced Technology Application Promotion Center, and the Inner Mongolia Research Institute of China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing). On the other are vehicle platform supplier Sunward Intelligent, based in Xingsha, Changsha County, Hunan Province and the autonomous technology provider WAYTOUS, based in Zhongke R&D City, Qingdao.
“The first set of mine intelligent carrying robot has made a major breakthrough in the research and development, achieving the true sense of unmanned mine transport vehicles, independent scheduling, remote monitoring and other functions, greatly improving the efficiency and safety of mine transport, and greatly reducing the human cost and environmental pollution. For the coal industry in Ordos the green low-carbon transition is of great significance,” said Vice Mayor of Ordos Municipal People’s Government Kong Fanfei, at the launch.
For its part, Sunward Intelligent says it will continue to adhere to the concept of “pioneer innovation”, strive to promote the development of advanced technology and equipment, and contribute Sunward’s strength to the construction of green and intelligent mines in China.
CarMo the partners say has achieved multiple technological breakthroughs in chassis function integration, core control algorithms, and perception and positioning integration. CarMo has three control modes: driverless driving, short-range remote control, and remote driving, which can meet the operating needs of multiple scenarios and working conditions. It has real-time and accurate environmental perception capabilities, and can independently select obstacles and other obstacles when encountering them. Or to avoid obstacles and avoid obstacles, multi-sensor fusion positioning can provide centimetre-level precise positioning. Through precise control and intelligent decision-making, CarMo can automatically adapt to complex road conditions, work together with the excavator, and automatically complete loading operations.
The brains behind CarMo is the WAYTOUS set of safe closed-loop parallel mining operating systems – known as YUGONG. With the support of this parallel mining operating system, vehicle operating status and data changes can be uploaded synchronously in real time, enabling remote monitoring and operation by drivers. In the parallel simulation system, the mining truck simulates 1:1 dangerous working conditions such as meeting cars, following cars, bypassing obstacles, and unloading on slopes, and conducts all-weather, full-time, and full-process tests to deeply verify the safe transportation plan of the mining truck.
