The Automation Inflection Point Reshaping Global Mining Haulage Across the world's largest open-pit mines, a quiet but profound operational shift is underway. The traditional image of human drivers navigating massive haul trucks across dusty mine roads is giving way to something fundamentally different: coordinated fleets of driverless vehicles operating with precision, consistency, and a measurable edge over their human-operated counterparts. This transition reflects broader mining automation trends that are reshaping the global resource sector — and it is happening now. Few players illustrate this shift more sharply than CiDi, a Hong Kong-listed autonomous mining equipment developer whose global deployment footprint and aggressive international ambitions are placing it at the centre of one of the most consequential technology transfers in modern resource extraction. The CiDi overseas expansion for autonomous mining trucks is, consequently, one of the most closely watched developments in the industry. When big ASX news breaks, our subscribers know first What Is CiDi and Why Does Its Background Matter? Founded in 2017, CiDi carries a notable founding lineage. The company was established by Li Zexiang, a professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology who also mentored Frank Wang Tao, the founder of DJI, the world's dominant consumer and commercial drone manufacturer. Li also served as DJI's chairman. This academic and entrepreneurial heritage is more than biographical detail — it reflects a technology development philosophy rooted in precision engineering, scalable hardware platforms, and deep integration between software intelligence and physical machinery. That same philosophy now underpins CiDi's flagship offering: the METAMINE platform, a full-stack autonomous mining system that brings together driverless trucks, fleet coordination software, centralised dispatch infrastructure, and remote teleoperation capabilities for excavators and other heavy equipment. The company's financial trajectory has been equally striking. In December 2025, CiDi completed a Hong Kong Stock Exchange listing
Jul 27, 2026 · via discoveryalert.com.au
Waymo's Robotaxis Have A Parking Problem—And It's Costing Thousands Waymo’s robotaxi fleet in Austin has hundreds of self-driving cabs that seem to have a problem parking legally. - Waymo’s Austin robotaxis have racked up thousands of dollars in parking tickets. - The company has paid over $7,000 in fines, but it still has nearly $2,000 in unpaid tickets. - A Waymo spokesperson said the company pays fines just like any other driver. Waymo is leading the pack when it comes to autonomous taxis in the United States, but that position doesn’t shield its driverless cars from one of life’s occasional annoyances: parking fines. The Alphabet-owned company started offering rides in Austin, Texas, two years ago, and has slowly but surely increased its fleet to roughly 200 vehicles. During this time, however, the electric taxis have also been racking up plenty of traffic tickets. Since the service’s debut in Austin in 2024, Waymo has been hit with $9,325 in parking tickets, according to documents obtained by The Wall Street Journal through an open-records request. The driverless cab company has paid $7,433 worth of fines across 83 different citations, but the operator still has $1,892 in unpaid fines, per the records. That’s not a huge amount for a company as big as Waymo, but it shows that despite all the effort that goes into developing a reliable robotaxi business, these cars will still make human mistakes. The city has issued fines between $20 and $519 to Waymo’s robotaxis, with the biggest citation coming after one of the company’s self-driving Jaguar I-Paces had parked in a spot reserved for the disabled. Additionally, the city has issued 63 fines for parking in a tow-away zone, 13 for not paying for a metered spot, and nine for double parking. All this being said, Waymo has
Jul 27, 2026 · via insideevs.com
Elon Musk announced new timelines for the rollout of Autopilot for the Tesla Semi electric trucks During the earnings call for the second quarter of 2026, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that the full self-driving (Full Self-Driving) for the Semi trucks is scheduled to be rolled out in late 2026 or early 2027. According to the CEO, the delay in developing the autonomous system for commercial trucks is due to the company’s prioritization of mass-market passenger models (Model 3, Model Y, and Robotaxi). At the same time, Musk emphasizes that autonomous trucks will be a key solution to overcoming the acute driver shortage in the U.S. logistics industry and will significantly improve transportation safety. Despite these new promises, experts urge caution regarding the stated timelines, pointing out the systematic postponement of deadlines for Tesla’s Autopilot system since 2013, as well as the active progress being made in this area by direct competitors (notably Aurora). Source: Electrek. Tesla ended the second quarter with record vehicle deliveries. The company delivered more than 480,000 electric cars to customers, significantly exceeding analysts’ forecasts and posting its best-ever result for this period in its history. Honda has officially launched its first mass-produced electric motorcycle on the European market. The WN7 model is already on sale in the United Kingdom, has a range of up to 140 kilometers, and supports fast charging.
Jul 27, 2026 · via ua.news
GEODIS is strengthening its road transport capabilities in Italy with the deployment of new-generation CO₂ tankers designed to improve safety, operational efficiency and lower-carbon transport performance. The investment reflects the Group's ongoing commitment to providing innovative and reliable logistics solutions for the industrial gas sector. Since July 1st, GEODIS has deployed 2 new CO₂ tankers for its road transport operations in Italy. Based at Cormano, the vehicles will support the transportation of industrial gases across Italy and Europe, providing customers with greater operational flexibility and service reliability. Today, GEODIS operates a fleet of 20 CO₂ tankers, with plans to continue modernizing and expanding its capabilities in line with market developments. - Anti-rollover systems - ABS/EBS braking systems - Automated semi-trailer braking during reverse maneuvers near obstacles - Automatic braking when the rear door is open during unloading - Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) Together, these features further enhance safety for drivers, operators and customers throughout transport operations. Equipped with new-generation rolling and cryogenic components, the tankers require less maintenance, increasing vehicle availability and operational efficiency. Their optimized design also enables higher payload capacity while reducing vehicle tare weight, helping transport more product per journey, improve route efficiency and contribute to lower fuel consumption and reduced carbon intensity. The deployment further strengthens GEODIS' expertise in transporting industrial gases and supports the company's ambition to continuously modernize its fleet in line with evolving customer needs and market expectations. Marc Vollet, Executive Vice-President European Road Network at GEODIS Group, said: "At GEODIS, innovation and operational excellence go hand in hand. The deployment of these next-generation CO₂ tankers demonstrates our commitment to continuously improving safety, efficiency and the environmental performance of our transport solutions. By investing in modern equipment and advanced technologies, we are strengthening our ability to support customers in the industrial gas
Jul 27, 2026 · via ajot.com
Middle-Mile Autonomous Delivery (B2B Road) Market : Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2036 Middle-Mile Autonomous Delivery (B2B Road) Market is segmented by Vehicle Type, Application, Component, End-use, Business Model, and Region. Forecast period from 2026 to 2036 - Market Size (2026): USD 490.0 Mn - Forecast (2036): USD 14173.0 Mn - CAGR (2026 to 2036): 40.0% How big is Middle-Mile Autonomous Delivery (B2B Road) Market in 2026? USD 490.0 million in 2026 and USD 14,173.0 million by 2036 at a 40.0% CAGR. Sales in middle-mile autonomous delivery (B2B road) market is projected to expand at 40.0% CAGR from 2026 to 2036, pushing valuation from USD 490.0 million in 2026 to USD 14,173.0 million by 2036. Industry expansion is driven by repeated freight movements between facilities with controlled loading points and planned departure windows. Gatik reported in January 2026 that its fleet had completed more than 60,000 fully driverless commercial orders since mid-2025. The operating record shows that autonomous trucks can move beyond demonstration work once route design and service responsibility are stable. Commercial growth therefore depends on converting tested corridors into recurring capacity contracts with measurable delivery performance. Country readiness differs across operating models because freight networks and approval systems solve different commercial problems. China has established extensive commercial mileage through series-produced autonomous trucks, whereas Japan is coordinating manufacturers and infrastructure operators around expressway relay routes. Loading bays and gate procedures still determine daily uptime in both markets, which links vehicle performance with automated material handling systems inside each facility. Einride reported in October 2025 that it had raised about USD 100 million to expand autonomous freight deployments and technology development. The investment shows why route expansion requires capital for vehicles, remote operations, and customer integration rather than software alone. Summary of the Middle-Mile Autonomous Delivery (B2B Road) Market
Jul 27, 2026 · via futuremarketinsights.com
Autonomous Mining Haulage (Surface) Market : Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2036 Autonomous Mining Haulage (Surface) Market is segmented by Equipment, Commodity, Component, End Use, Sales Channel, and Region. Forecast period from 2026 to 2036 - Market Size (2026): USD 2.9 Bn - Forecast (2036): USD 14.5 Bn - CAGR (2026 to 2036): 17.5% How big is Autonomous Mining Haulage (Surface) Market in 2026? USD 2.9 billion in 2026 and USD 14.5 billion by 2036 at a 17.5% CAGR. Demand for autonomous mining haulage (surface) is expected to push industry value from USD 2.9 billion in 2026 to USD 14.5 billion by 2036 at a 17.5% CAGR, driven by production-scale fleet conversions. Caterpillar reported in April 2025 that its 65-tonne Cat 775 was engineered to enable future autonomous capability and was planned for introduction during 2026. The product development extends autonomy planning into quarry-class haulage, where smaller fleets and shorter shifts change the commercial case. The surface mining equipment market therefore depends on integrated route control and site support rather than isolated vehicle automation. Country programs reflect different operating priorities across surface mines and quarries that are converting active production routes. China is pairing electric fleets with battery swapping and communications control, whereas United States quarry programs rely more heavily on dealer-backed conversions and formal safety plans. Mine engineering teams compare road geometry with radio coverage before approving each route for daily production. At a 2026 market value of USD 2.9 billion, commercial returns depend on funding control rooms and commissioning work alongside the trucks. The smart mining market faces the same integration test across connected production assets and operating teams. Capital returns weaken if autonomy-ready vehicles enter service without the operating support required for reliable production. Summary of the Autonomous Mining Haulage (Surface) Market | Market Signal |
Jul 27, 2026 · via futuremarketinsights.com
Over the past two years, more than a dozen "first listed stocks" in the autonomous driving track have emerged, and the autonomous driving industry is still struggling desperately to achieve profitability. On October 25, 2024, WeRide went public on the NASDAQ. Bearing the halo of "the world's first publicly listed company for general autonomous driving", its stock price triggered circuit breakers twice on the first trading day, with a maximum intraday increase of over 27%. Just one month later, Pony.ai also landed on NASDAQ, claiming the title of "the first publicly listed Robotaxi company". In the following two years, China's autonomous driving industry ushered in an unprecedented wave of IPOs. Hesai, known as "China's first publicly listed LiDAR company", UISEE as "the first publicly listed company for full-scenario L4 autonomous driving", CIDI as "the world's first publicly listed company for unmanned mining trucks", Huayu as "the first publicly listed company for integrated cabin-driving solutions", In-Driving as "the world's first publicly listed company for unmanned mining operations", and Momenta as "the first publicly listed Physical AI company"... The titles became increasingly resounding, and the "first publicly listed" label almost became a standard feature of listed companies. However, when the hustle and bustle faded away, these "first publicly listed" companies with halos above their heads faced drastically different fates in the capital market. The Feast of "First Publicly Listed" Titles The curtain for autonomous driving company IPOs was raised in 2023. In February of that year, Hesai took the lead in launching its IPO on NASDAQ, entering the U.S. stock market as "China's first publicly listed LiDAR company"; on December 20 of the same year, Zhixing Technology listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange at an issue price of HK$29.65 per share, winning the title of "the first publicly listed autonomous driving
Jul 27, 2026 · via eu.36kr.com
PACCAR stock trades steady as truck maker balances strong 2025 earnings with electrification costs Published on 07/27/2026 at 10:11 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSPACCAR stock continues to reflect a balance between strong recent earnings and rising investment needs in low emission and autonomous trucks. PACCAR Inc. (ISIN US6937181088) reported solid profitability in its latest available annual results, underlining the truck maker's ability to generate cash and sustain dividends even as it invests heavily in future drivetrains. Revenue growth and margin resilience According to PACCAR's published financial information for fiscal 2025, the company delivered annual revenue of around $35 billion, supported by robust demand for heavy duty trucks and aftermarket services. In the prior year, revenue was closer to $32 billion, implying growth of roughly 9% year on year. The increase was driven by higher unit deliveries across the Kenworth, Peterbilt and DAF brands and by pricing actions that helped offset input cost inflation. PACCAR's operating margin remained resilient even as the company spent more on research and development for low and zero emission vehicles. In fiscal 2025, operating income was approximately $5.5 billion, up from about $4.8 billion in 2024. That translates into an operating margin in the mid-teens percentage range, slightly above the previous year despite higher labor and battery costs. The margin performance suggests that higher value services and disciplined cost control are compensating for new technology expenses. Net income, cash flow and dividends The truck maker also reported solid net income in its latest annual results. Net profit in 2025 was around $4 billion, versus roughly $3.4 billion a year earlier, an increase of about 18%. The growth in bottom line earnings outpaced revenue expansion, indicating that PACCAR is managing its manufacturing footprint and supply chain more efficiently as volumes grow. For investors,
Jul 27, 2026 · via ad-hoc-news.de
McLane Company, the Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary that distributes food to restaurants and retailers, ran a three-year pilot with Aurora Innovation that wrapped in 2023 after logging more than 280,000 autonomous miles and 1,400 loads with a 100% on-time delivery record. The pilot has since converted to fully driverless commercial runs between Dallas and Houston. By any measure, that’s a real product, not a demo. It’s also a hybrid product, and the hybrid part rarely makes the headline. Aurora’s trucks haul the middle-mile distance between McLane’s distribution centers. Human drivers still handle the local deliveries on each end. Strip away the press release language and the actual claim is narrower than “driverless trucking”: a truck can now drive itself across Texas highways without anyone in the cab, and a person still has to get the freight the rest of the way. That gap between the highway and everything around it defines where autonomous trucking actually stands. The highway portion is scaling fast, with real mileage, real customers, and real regulatory momentum behind it. The portion on either side of the highway, loading the truck and getting cargo to its final destination, has barely moved. Treating those as one story is why “driverless” coverage keeps overpromising, and untangling them is the only way to read the technology’s timeline accurately. The Highway Side Is Scaling Quickly Aurora currently runs roughly 109 trucks and plans to reach 200 by the end of 2026, with thousands projected within five years. A second route, built with Volvo Autonomous Solutions, now connects Dallas directly to customer facilities in Oklahoma City. That route runs on Volvo VNL Autonomous trucks paired with the Aurora Driver system, operating under supervised autonomy five days a week while the partnership works through what the companies describe as the final validation phase before
Jul 27, 2026 · via theweeklydriver.com
Abstract Effective risk analysis of dump truck failures is vital for enhancing reliability, minimizing downtime, and ensuring safety in mining operations. This study investigates failure modes of conventional dump trucks using three years of maintenance records from the Sarcheshmeh Copper Mine workshop, focusing only on mechanical and electrical failures (automation-related faults are outside the scope). Applying Pareto analysis and expert validation to key subsystems, a risk matrix was developed that identifies the engine as the dominant source of failures—accounting for 30% of incidents—followed by wheel and electrical systems. Primary engine failure mechanisms include power deficiency, coolant and oil leaks, and internal component malfunctions, all of which critically impair operational reliability. For each failure mode, targeted corrective actions were proposed (e.g., predefined sensor thresholds triggering alarms). Building on these findings, the study recommends tailored sensor and monitoring technologies to enable early fault detection and support preventive maintenance strategies for autonomous dump trucks. This sensor-based framework facilitates real‑time risk classification and effective mitigation. Grounded in empirical data, the proposed methodology provides a data‑driven, reproducible framework for improving safety and reliability, while acknowledging current limitations (static thresholds, autonomy‑failure exclusion) and future steps (predictive analytics). Acknowledgements The authors gratefully acknowledge the technical support provided by the Sarcheshmeh Copper Complex during field data collection and operational studies. Funding This work was supported by the National Iranian Copper Industries Company (NICICO) under Contract No. 2001174. Author information Authors and Affiliations Corresponding author Ethics declarations Competing interests The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. Additional information Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Rights and permissions Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0
Jul 27, 2026 · via nature.com
Boeing does not consider relying on one large plant for producing MQ-28 Ghost Bat unmanned fighters a good idea. Instead they plan to deploy output at smaller enterprises in various countries. MQ-28 program head Glen Ferguson reported this at press briefing, Breaking Defense writes. It is noted that thus localization will be conducted according to specific operator requirements and scaling drone output massiveness. Also this will help user countries retain control over UAV production and ensure operation even under global supply chain unavailability conditions. Read more: Ukraine Downs Five Ballistic Missiles and Over 100 Drones During Overnight russian Attack Here specifically partnership with German Hensoldt was announced, which together with Rohde & Schwarz and Rheinmetall will deploy industrial base for Ghost Bat for Bundeswehr. Interestingly, Boeing noted urgency in unmanned fighter market, which can operate shoulder-to-shoulder with manned platforms. It is caused by russian-Ukrainian war and global rearmament trend. Defense Express notes defense company haste is quite understandable, as countries are currently ready to spend colossal funds on rearmament. Thus manufacturers do not want to lose existing window of opportunity while everyone prepares to counter China, rashists and other threats. Especially when competitors only grow more numerous, as British Brontanax was recently presented. Localization proposal in each country with adaptation to local requirements should help here too. Such control increase and local industry involvement is quite weighty argument, and in some cases — necessary condition. Also worth mentioning that in EU they strongly insist on priority of local defense-industrial products instead of purchasing American due to desire to reduce U.S. dependence. So with localization Boeing may try to increase its chances. Recall MQ-28 Ghost Bat is already tested and produced for Australia needs in Block 2 version, while recently updated Block 3 version was presented. Regarding weapons, unmanned fighter already
Jul 27, 2026 · via en.defence-ua.com
The frontier of physical AI is a Jenga game in a warehouse in San Leandro, California. That warehouse is occupied by Encord, a company that builds data tooling used to train AI models. Andrew Ceja is a pilot—the company’s term for its robotic trainers—and he’s carefully pulling wooden blocks from a tottering tower while wearing a headset with a camera that tracks what he sees. That alone is fairly common for collecting robot training data, but this headset includes sensors that measure his brain waves as he carefully disassembles the block tower. Encord is one of a small but growing number of startups betting the next real constraint on humanoid and warehouse robotics won’t be model architecture but instead the sheer scarcity of real-world physical training data. Rather than just helping robotics companies manage the data they have, Encord is building a business around manufacturing the data they don’t. The brain wave headset Ceja is wearing was built by Zander Labs, a German neuroscience startup that’s betting measuring brain activity — to deduce mental states like error, intent and surprise — can create a more useful data set to train models. Encord’s work with Zander is currently a trial run; Encord says the goal is to build an initial brain wave-tagged data set, run it through customer robotics models, and evaluate whether it actually improves performance before deciding whether to scale it up. Lucas Gehrke, a Zander neuroscientist supervising the work, says that the amount of brain activity used at any point during a given task offers clues for model builders trying to figure out when they need to deploy their highest-effort models. This is the “bleeding edge” of the effort to solve the robotics data bottleneck, according to Vineeth Velmurugan, Encord’s head of robot learning. A veteran of OpenAI’s
Jul 27, 2026 · via techcrunch.com
Ukraine's long-range drone strikes are becoming an increasingly serious challenge for russia. Defending such a vast territory with conventional air defense assets alone has proven extremely difficult, prompting Moscow to look for new ways to improve its counter-drone capabilities. One concept recently highlighted by russian media proposes creating a network of unmanned ground vehicles equipped with standardized combat modules and linked together through a centralized command-and-control system. Read more: Following Strike on Oil Refinery 15 km From Kremlin, russians Brought Pantsir System From the Front Lines to Protect Moscow, Signaling a Shortage of Air Defense Missiles Rather than deploying conventional unmanned ground vehicles fitted with remote weapon stations, the proposal envisions using fully autonomous Pantsir-S air-defense systems. One suggested platform is the recently unveiled KamAZ-65119 autonomous dump truck, whose testing russia announced earlier this year. Under the concept, Pantsir-S systems mounted on autonomous chassis could be deployed to protect rear-area infrastructure, patrolling pre-programmed routes without onboard crews. According to the proposal, a single operator could supervise a network of five to ten such vehicles. From Defense Express's perspective, the concept could address certain operational challenges, particularly the need for large numbers of trained crews to operate air-defense systems. At the same time, it is far from a comprehensive solution to russia's growing drone problem. It still requires sufficient numbers of Pantsir-S systems, which remain a limited resource. Moreover, experience has shown that even areas with some of russia's highest concentrations of air-defense assets remain vulnerable to Ukrainian drone strikes. For example, despite russia deploying large numbers of Pantsir systems around Moscow and its outskirts, Ukrainian drones have repeatedly struck military facilities and warehouses in the vicinity of the russian capital. More importantly, defeating drones depends on much more than interceptor systems alone. The effectiveness of any air-defense network also relies
Jul 27, 2026 · via en.defence-ua.com
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Jul 26, 2026 · via youtube.com
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for the future of transportation and now, more than ever, the role AI is playing in it. To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! Tesla kicked off earnings season — at least for this sector — and the shareholder letter, along with Elon Musk’s remarks during the conference call, provided some pretty incredible disclosures I imagine have some investors concerned, or at least puzzled. Tesla has backed off previous promises to reach “volume production” of the Cybercab, Tesla Semi, and Megapack 3 in 2026. And while the company has publicly touted expansions of its Tesla Robotaxi service into new cities in Florida and Texas, the quarter-over-quarter data shows a drop in paid robotaxi miles. Senior reporter Sean O’Kane took a closer look at a graph shared in Tesla’s shareholder letter. At a passing glance, the chart appears to show steady growth in paid robotaxi rides between August 2025 and June 2026, O’Kane notes. But the numbers displayed are cumulative, and when broken down by quarter, they show that Tesla’s Robotaxi fleet of Model Y SUVs carrying paying passengers covered around 1.1 million miles in the first quarter. That fell to roughly 700,000 miles in the second quarter, a decline of about 36%. Musk also disclosed during the call that Tesla needs to accumulate driving data specific to the Cybercab before it can put large numbers of the vehicles on the road. That isn’t terribly surprising; the Cybercab is new, after all. But the reason got my attention. He explained that Tesla has to accumulate miles using Cybercabs retrofitted with steering wheels and accelerator and braking pedals so it can calibrate to the Cybercab chassis. This marks a change from the company’s previous claims. For
Jul 26, 2026 · via techcrunch.com
FedEx CEO calls current supply chain upheaval the biggest shift in 35 years as trade routes redraw globally FedEx CEO Raj Subramaniam described the current supply chain upheaval as the biggest shift in 35 years, driven by tariffs and geopolitical tensions. These forces are leading to a reevaluation and potential rewiring of global trade routes. The logistics sector in South Africa is responding to these global changes, indicating a broader impact on regional transportation networks. This story was produced through MarketScale. See how Transportation teams put it to work with Partner & Channel Enablement. Key facts, context, and what it means, in one minute. Key takeaways Tariffs and geopolitical tensions are reshaping global trade routes. FedEx CEO describes current supply chain changes as the largest in 35 years. South Africa's logistics sector is adjusting to global trade shifts. FedEx moves nearly $2 trillion worth of goods every year. That scale makes what its CEO says about trade worth taking seriously. Speaking to Fortune on July 15, 2026, Raj Subramaniam described the current period as the largest supply chain realignment he has witnessed in 35 years at the company, a reshaping driven not by one tariff or one policy decision but by a compounding of geopolitical friction, shifting sourcing strategies, and new demand growth in markets that were secondary a decade ago. Reglobalization, not deglobalization Subramaniam's framing, as reported by Fortune, is precise: this is reglobalization, not deglobalization. Trade is not contracting; it is redirecting. Growth corridors in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and India are absorbing volume that once moved along more established Asia-to-North America and Asia-to-Europe lanes. For logistics operators and the procurement teams that depend on them, that distinction matters. Routes that were reliable for years now require reassessment, and new carrier relationships and customs capabilities in emerging corridors
Jul 26, 2026 · via marketscale.com
At the Huaneng Yimin Open-Pit Coal Mine in Inner Mongolia, China has switched on the world’s first fleet of 100 fully autonomous, all-electric mining trucks. Commissioned in May 2025, the driverless XCMG ZNK95 haulers — branded ‘Huaneng Ruichi’ — run with no one in the cab, coordinated over a Huawei 5G-Advanced (5G-A) network built for the site. This coal mine in Inner Mongolia is running 100 giant haul trucks — and there’s no one in a single cab. This is the Huaneng Yimin Open-Pit Coal Mine — home to the world’s first fleet of 100 fully autonomous, all electric mining trucks. They’re XCMG ZNK95 haulers, branded ‘Huaneng Ruichi’ — switched on in May 2025, running with empty cabs. A control room supervises the whole fleet over a Huawei 5G-Advanced network — the first openpit mine to run mining at this scale on the cloud. Around 500 megabits up and just 20 milliseconds of lag means the mine sees and steers every truck in real time. They’re fully electric — zero tailpipe — and swap an empty battery for a full one in under six minutes, hauling almost non-stop. And they do it in brutal cold — operations have run as low as minus 48.5 degrees Celsius. Huaneng says the fleet set records for payload, speed and cold — and runs about 20% more productively than human crews ADVERTISEMENT
Jul 26, 2026 · via interestingengineering.com
Autonomous manufacturing system that connects entire shipbuilding process set to be developed The initiative also reflects broader changes taking place within the maritime industry. Read Next: Taiwan adopts US firm`s chipmaking system that prints circuits without photomasksThe global shipbuilding industry is entering a new era of digital innovation as HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) moves to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) across the entire shipbuilding process. Through a newly signed agreement with Siemens Digital Industries Software, the South Korean shipbuilding giant aims to build a next-generation marine platform that will redefine how ships are designed, manufactured and maintained. AI-powered smart shipyard The collaboration represents a significant milestone in HD KSOE’s long-term vision of creating an AI-powered smart shipyard. Rather than treating digital technologies as isolated tools, the company plans to establish an integrated platform that connects every stage of shipbuilding—from initial design and engineering to production, logistics, quality inspection, sea trials and lifecycle management. By consolidating information into a single 3D data environment, stakeholders across the value chain will be able to access consistent, real-time information throughout a vessel’s development. At the heart of the initiative is the development of a digital platform capable of synchronising engineering data with manufacturing operations. Design modifications will be instantly reflected on the production floor, while real-time updates from workshops and suppliers will enable faster decision-making. Such seamless information flow is expected to reduce production delays, improve quality control and optimize resource allocation across complex shipbuilding projects. “As a leader in industrial AI, automation and digital twin software, Siemens is uniquely positioned to help transform how shipyards design, build and sustain the next generation of vessels,” said Tony Hemmelgarn, President and CEO of Siemens Digital Industries Software. “This strategic collaboration is about more than technology deployment, it’s about establishing a repeatable blueprint
Jul 25, 2026 · via interestingengineering.com
Key Takeaways Tesla must accumulate at least 250,000 validation miles on the Cybercab's new chassis before production can ramp, making that mileage target the single most critical metric for its robotaxi timeline. Summary On July 25, 2026, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk dissected a busy week in autonomy: Tesla’s Q2 earnings call revealed the crucial bottleneck for Cybercab deployment; Alphabet’s call barely mentioned Waymo; Mobileye’s founder-CEO of 27 years stepped down; and Zoox issued a software recall for failing to detect smoke. The central finding is that Tesla’s Cybercab ramp will be governed by validation miles on the new chassis, not by factory output — a reality that pushes meaningful commercial service into early 2027 at the earliest, and that undercuts the narrative of an easy transfer of the FSD stack to different vehicle form factors. Walter Piecyk, a financial analyst who covers both autonomy and telecommunications (and who asked questions directly on the Tesla call), and Grayson Brulte, founder of Road to Autonomy, argued that the gap between Tesla’s 380,000 unsupervised autonomous miles in Austin and Waymo’s vast operational history is a quantitative chasm that cannot be closed quickly, and that the industry’s “safety first” rhetoric now has teeth across the board. Cybercab Timeline: Validation Miles, Not Production, Are the Governor On the Tesla earnings call, management disclosed that Cybercabs had accumulated 380,000 unsupervised autonomous miles in Austin with zero notable incidents. Elon Musk noted that outside actors had deliberately tried to provoke the vehicles — echoing known vandalism issues in the city. However, as Walter Piecyk emphasized, that mileage figure “pales in comparison compared to Waymo’s numbers,” and the critical takeaway was that Tesla’s own commentary implied the production line is being paced to match validation progress, not the other way around. "They’re gonna have to put miles…
Jul 25, 2026 · via finance.biggo.com
Planning decisions taken over the next three years will decide whether driverless vehicles free up land for housing or pile congestion onto the roads, says a report produced for the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) by Institute for Driverless Transport (IfDT). Planners hold powers to shape which way it goes, from local plans to planning conditions, argues the report, which is for RTPI members only. The report says if private car ownership falls as a consequence of autonomous vehicles, the land now used for parking could be turned over to homes, green space and town centre regeneration, most of all in cities where it is most valuable. However, the primer notes that more than four in ten of Waymo’s robotaxi miles in California already run with no passenger, empty traffic that adds to congestion unless the rollout is actively managed. Autonomous vehicles: A primer for planners working in the UK – Emerging risks and opportunities for the creation of thriving places was peer reviewed by Mark Frost (director of policy, Transport Planning Society) and Tom van Vuren (former director of policy, Transport Planning Society). Driverless taxis are due to start carrying passengers in London this year, and a new report argues that the way planners respond over the next three years will shape Britain’s towns long after the technology stops being a novelty. The report was written by the Institute for Driverless Transport (IfDT), an independent research body, and published by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), the professional body for around 27,000 planners across the UK. This year’s robotaxi launch will put the UK among the world’s most competitive driverless-vehicle markets, behind only the US, China and the United Arab Emirates. Three firms plan to run robotaxis in London, as early as September, with Waymo already testing more than
Jul 25, 2026 · via transportxtra.com