Autonomous Retrofitted HD1500 Fleet Begins Day-Shift Autonomous Operations in Western Australia

PERTH, Australia, July 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- EACON Mining Technology's autonomous haulage project has commenced day-shift autonomous operations, with a fleet of six retrofitted Komatsu HD1500 trucks operating without safety drivers in the active production environment of the Havana Pit, at a gold mine in Western Australia. The day-shift rollout is also upskilling the site team for future night-shift autonomous operations.

The project marks a pioneering retrofit deployment of autonomous haulage technology on Komatsu HD1500 haul trucks and the first autonomous haulage deployment in an active mining production environment in the Kalgoorlie Goldfields region of Australia.

This milestone follows an extensive period of drive-by-wire system design and validation, system integration, localised autonomy feature validation, and safety tests undertaken to support deployment under Australian mining conditions at the Mulgarrie operation. Ahead of the commencement of autonomous operations at the Havana Pit, a range of infrastructure and operational readiness activities were completed to prepare the site for live production.

The fleet comprises trucks drawn from existing operations, each converted for autonomous operation through EACON's OEM-agnostic autonomy solution, including drive-by-wire retrofit. By leveraging in-service assets and existing haul road infrastructure, the project demonstrates a practical pathway for introducing autonomous haulage while minimising capital expenditure and disruption to ongoing production.

Operational and safety performance of the fleet will continue to be evaluated as the project progresses. The transition from a test environment to live production represents an achievement for the teams involved and highlights the growing maturity of retrofit autonomous haulage solutions in Australia.

Elaine Jin, Chief Growth Officer at EACON Australia, said: "Transitioning autonomous haulage into a live production environment raises the bar for on-site support across AHS operations, technical support and training. Through the NGF project, EACON is building a strong local support team and the operational experience required to support future autonomous haulage projects in Australia."

About EACON

EACON Mining Technology delivers the world's most deployed autonomous haulage system, with over 2,500 trucks automated, 120 million kilometres driven, and 30 projects across commodities including coal, iron ore, copper, gold, and zinc. Designed for interoperability, EACON's ORCASTRA® solution integrates seamlessly with any OEM platform or powertrain, new or existing. By combining 360° perception, a distributed architecture, and real-time optimised dispatching, the system enhances safety, boosts efficiency, and supports the mining industry's path to net zero.

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SOURCE EACON Mining Technology