Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On October 24, CATL and EACON, a leading Chinese developer of autonomous haulage solutions, signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Ningde, Fujian, according to a post on CATL's WeChat account. The two sides will join forces across capital investment, technology, market deployment, and ecosystem building to advance the transformation of the mining industry toward electrification, intelligence, and greater efficiency.
The partnership marks a significant milestone for China's push toward fully electrified and autonomous mining operations. What was once a period of technological trial has now evolved into a phase of rapid industrialization and large-scale deployment. Leveraging CATL's expertise in power batteries and intelligent manufacturing alongside EACON's strengths in autonomous driving and vehicle-road-cloud integration, the two companies aim to tackle critical challenges such as harsh operational conditions, stringent safety demands, and total cost of ownership (TCO) optimization. Their goal is to deliver a scalable, replicable solution for green mining worldwide.
The collaboration will unfold across several strategic fronts. The two companies will co-develop next-generation specialized batteries designed to withstand extreme conditions such as high altitude and sub-zero temperatures, drawing on operational data from more than 20 mines under EACON's management.
They also plan to establish benchmark open-pit mining projects that demonstrate safe, efficient, and replicable models for autonomous haulage, leveraging CATL's industrial ecosystem and partner resources.
Once key domestic projects are validated, the partners intend to expand globally—exporting integrated "new energy + autonomous driving" mining solutions and contributing to the development of international green mining standards.
As of September 2025, CATL and EACON have deployed over 2,000 electric autonomous mining trucks, which have collectively logged more than 65 million kilometers across coal, metal, and limestone mines—making large-scale autonomous mining a commercial reality. Looking ahead, the companies plan to deepen their integration and leverage complementary strengths to usher in a new era of mining operations driven by green energy and intelligent mobility.
