Chinese equipment brand Boonray has developed an autonomous, battery-swapping electric mining truck that it hopes will revolutionize the global mining industry – and global EV leader BYD just gave it a multimillion dollar vote of confidence.
Led by a team of scientists from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and built with L4-level autonomous driving technology at its core, Boonray has been working to develop key technologies for futuristic mines like AI algorithms and vehicle-by-wire systems – and the company’s tech so far is convincing enough that BYD has chosen to invest RMB 100 million (~14.5 million USD) to help push it along even further.
According to Boonray, its self driving solutions currently enable Level 4 autonomous operation for mining trucks leveraging both onboard and stationary assets (think beacons and fixed reference points) to support both unmanned driving and unmanned battery swapping, enabling the mines to operate around the clock with minimal danger to operators.
These aren’t just promises, either – Boonray’s tech has been deployed at thirty (30) mining projects across China, each with its own diverse ore types and complex operating conditions.
In addition to being a vote of confidence in contuned success, the investment signals a sign of the times – coming after a record December that saw domestic sales of electrified heavy-duty trucks hit a staggering 45,300 units, or ~54% of China’s overall heavy truck market.
You can watch Boonray’s mining trucks in action in this promo video, below, then let us know what you think of the company’s high-tech promises in the comments.