The Shuanglin K7, a pioneer driverless electric-powered mining truck, recently made its debut in Shanghai. Equipped with a Level 4 autonomous driving system and boasting outstanding maneuverability, the 248-tonne vehicle is capable of moving sideways like a crab and performing in-situ U-turns.

The truck's cutting-edge distributed electric drive steer-by-wire corner module system enables its groundbreaking performance, which integrates driving, braking, steering and suspension systems into the wheel assembly, making the independent steer-by-wire and control on all wheels possible. According to developers Shuanglin Co., Ltd. and Tsinghua University, this colossal truck, measuring 17.79 meters in length, 5.7 meters in height and 5.2 meters in width, is the first of its kind.

"Traditional mining trucks spend much time making U-turns on narrow loading and unloading platforms, while facing blind-spot risks. The corner module system endows vehicles with crab-walking and center-point steering capabilities, greatly improving operational flexibility and site adaptability in complex environments," said Professor Huang Jin from the School of Vehicle and Mobility, Tsinghua University.

According to the manufacturer, the vehicle supports 24/7 autonomous operations thanks to its ultra-fast battery swapping, which takes only five minutes to change. It can also convert up to 85 percent of kinetic energy back into stored electricity via the regenerative braking system.

Powered by multi-sensor fusion perception and intelligent algorithms, the K7 supports all-weather unmanned transportation, automatic platooning and following, as well as precise automatic docking and loading/unloading with electric shovels and crushing stations.

Projections show that the K7's grouped unmanned operations can boost transport efficiency by 35 percent, reduce mine accidents on site by 90 percent, and cut full-lifecycle maintenance and tire costs by around 25 percent, compared to traditional diesel machinery.