For years, electric haul trucks have been the “future of mining”—always five years away, always promising, never quite ready for full-scale deployment.

That’s changing. We’re now at the point where electric haul trucks are operating in actual production environments, not just pilot programs. The technology has crossed from “interesting experiment” to “viable alternative” for specific use cases.

I’ve been tracking this space closely and talking to operations managers at mines that are testing or deploying electric trucks. Here’s where things actually stand in early 2026.

What’s Actually Deployed

Let’s start with reality: the majority of haul trucks in Australian mines are still diesel. We’re not at mass adoption. But there are now multiple sites running electric trucks in production, and the numbers are growing.

Fortescue has 15 electric haul trucks operating across their Pilbara iron ore operations. These are full-size trucks—we’re talking 220-tonne payload capacity, the same as their diesel equivalents.

BHP is running a smaller trial at Olympic Dam with six electric trucks. Anglo American has electric trucks at their Queensland coal operations.

These aren’t prototype vehicles. They’re commercial products from manufacturers like Caterpillar, Komatsu, and Liebherr. They’re being used in regular production cycles alongside diesel trucks, moving ore and waste material the same way diesel trucks do.

That’s the key shift from two years ago. Back then, electric trucks were special projects with dedicated support teams and limited operational scope. Now they’re integrated into normal operations.

The Performance Reality

The operations managers I’ve spoken with are generally positive about electric truck performance, but with specific caveats.

Power delivery is better than diesel. Electric motors provide instant torque, which means better acceleration and better performance on grades. For trucks hauling ore up steep ramps out of open pits, that’s a real advantage.

One operator at a Pilbara site mentioned that their electric trucks are consistently faster on the climb out of the pit compared to diesel equivalents. Not massively faster—we’re talking 10-15% improvement—but it adds up over thousands of cycles.

Operating costs are lower. Electricity is cheaper than diesel per unit of energy, and electric drivetrains have fewer moving parts and lower maintenance requirements. No oil changes, no diesel particulate filters to clean, simpler brake systems.

The savings are significant. One estimate I heard was that total operating cost per tonne-kilometer is about 30-40% lower for electric trucks compared to diesel, once you factor in energy and maintenance.

But—and this is important—that doesn’t include the capital cost difference. Electric trucks are currently 20-30% more expensive to purchase than diesel equivalents. The operating cost savings pay back that premium over 4-6 years depending on utilization rates.

The Charging Challenge

This is where things get complicated. Charging infrastructure is the single biggest operational challenge with electric haul trucks.

A 220-tonne haul truck carries a massive battery pack—we’re talking 1.4 MWh or more. Charging that battery takes time and requires serious electrical infrastructure.

Most sites are using a combination of fast charging at central charging stations and opportunity charging during shift changes or breaks. Fast charging can get a truck from 20% to 80% charge in about 30-45 minutes. That’s manageable, but it requires planning.

The challenge is that charging infrastructure needs to be built out before you can run a full fleet of electric trucks. One site manager told me they spent $4 million on electrical infrastructure upgrades before they could deploy six electric trucks. That’s a significant upfront investment.

There’s also the power supply question. Mines typically run on grid power supplemented by diesel generators. Adding electric trucks increases total power demand significantly. Some sites have had to add generator capacity or negotiate higher grid connection limits.

That infrastructure challenge is why adoption is happening gradually. You don’t flip a 50-truck fleet from diesel to electric overnight. You add electric trucks incrementally as you build out charging infrastructure.

Where It Makes Most Sense

Electric trucks aren’t a universal solution. They work better in some operational contexts than others.

Short haul cycles are ideal. If your trucks are running 2-4 km loops from pit to crusher and back, electric works well. You can charge between cycles and maintain high utilization.

Longer haul distances—10+ km—are harder. The battery capacity limits your range, and you need more charging infrastructure distributed across the site or longer downtime for charging.

Sites with consistent grades are easier than sites with highly variable terrain. Electric trucks handle steep climbs well, but battery management gets more complex when you’re dealing with variable loads and variable terrain.

Underground mines are actually a particularly good fit for electric trucks. No diesel particulate matter means better air quality, which reduces ventilation requirements. That’s a significant cost saving in underground operations.

The Emissions Reality

The marketing pitch for electric trucks is always about emissions reduction. The actual emissions benefit depends on where your electricity comes from.

If you’re charging electric trucks with diesel generators, the emissions benefit is minimal. You’re basically moving the emissions from the truck exhaust to the generator exhaust.

If you’re on grid power in a region with high renewable penetration—like South Australia—the emissions benefit is substantial. Some sites are pairing electric truck deployment with on-site solar or wind generation, which gives you genuinely low-emission hauling.

Several mining companies have committed to net-zero operational emissions by 2040 or 2050. For them, team400.ai and similar consultancies are helping map out electrification roadmaps that include haul trucks as a major component. Electric trucks are a key part of that strategy, but only if the electricity supply is clean.

The Battery Degradation Question

One concern that came up in every conversation I had: battery degradation over time.

Haul trucks operate in harsh conditions. Extreme temperatures, high vibration, constant charge-discharge cycles. That’s tough on batteries.

The manufacturers are warranting their battery packs for 8-10 years or a certain number of cycles, whichever comes first. But the real-world degradation curves are still being established because these trucks haven’t been in service long enough to have multi-year performance data.

Early indications suggest battery capacity degrades about 10-15% in the first three years of operation, then stabilizes. That’s manageable—you just factor it into operational planning.

The bigger unknown is what happens after year ten. Do the batteries degrade gracefully and predictably? Or is there a cliff where performance drops off suddenly? Nobody knows yet because the oldest electric haul trucks in mining service are only about four years old.

Battery replacement costs are significant. We’re talking several hundred thousand dollars to replace a haul truck battery pack. If that needs to happen every 10 years, it changes the total cost of ownership calculation.

What’s Coming

The technology is improving rapidly. Next-generation electric trucks coming in 2027-2028 are promising:

• Larger battery capacity for longer range
• Faster charging (20-80% in 20 minutes instead of 30-45)
• Better thermal management for extreme temperature operation
• Lighter battery packs using newer cell chemistry

There’s also work happening on trolley-assist systems for fixed-route hauling. The truck runs on battery for most of the cycle, but connects to overhead power lines for the steep climb out of the pit. That reduces battery size requirements and charging downtime.

Some manufacturers are looking at battery swap systems—drive into a station, automated system swaps out the depleted battery pack for a charged one in 10 minutes. Similar to how diesel trucks refuel. That eliminates charging downtime entirely.

If battery swapping becomes practical, it changes the economics significantly. But the infrastructure complexity is high, and you need battery pack standardization across manufacturers, which doesn’t exist yet.

The Realistic Timeline

Here’s my sense of where this goes:

By 2030, electric haul trucks will probably represent 15-20% of new haul truck purchases in Australia. Not the majority, but a significant minority.

By 2035, it could be 40-50% of new purchases, assuming charging infrastructure costs come down and battery technology continues improving.

Full fleet electrification across the Australian mining industry? That’s a 2040-2050 timeframe at current adoption rates.

The transition will be faster at some sites than others. Underground mines and sites with short haul cycles will move quicker. Large open-cut operations with long haul distances will take longer.

What This Means for Mining Operations

If you’re running mine operations, electric trucks are something you need to start planning for now, even if deployment is several years away.

That means:

• Assessing your power infrastructure and what upgrades would be needed
• Running pilot programs to understand how electric trucks perform in your specific operational context
• Factoring electric trucks into long-term fleet replacement planning
• Training maintenance teams on electric vehicle systems

The companies that start planning now will have smoother transitions. The ones that wait until diesel trucks are no longer available will face more expensive and disruptive changes.

The Bottom Line

Electric haul trucks have moved from concept to reality. They’re not perfect, they’re not suitable for every application, and they’re not cheap. But they work, and they’re getting better rapidly.

This is no longer a question of “if” but “when” and “how fast.” The technology is here. The economics are becoming viable. The emissions benefits align with where the industry needs to go.

We’re probably five years from electric trucks being the default choice for new haul truck purchases in optimal applications. Ten years from them being competitive across most mining applications. Fifteen years from diesel haul trucks being the exception rather than the rule.

That’s still a long transition. But it’s started, and it’s real. Not “five years away” anymore. Happening now.