Adaptation and innovation are extremely important to the manufacturing industry. This development should lead to sustainable manufacturing using new technologies. To promote sustainability, smart production requires global perspectives of smart production application technology. The mining industry faces crucial challenges to which AI offers the most viable solutions. By focussing on operational efficiency, electrification, and switching to renewable energy use where possible, mines can actually fully decarbonise, with the exception of fugitive methane.

BEML has designed and developed all-electric hydraulic excavators in the capacity of 65 tonne, 100 tonne and 175 tonne. The equipment is well accepted by the customers and they are giving a quick return on investment to the customer. The big benefit is due to the very low running cost of these machines as they are very efficient (almost 92 to 95 per cent efficient) in comparison to the Internal combustion Engine driven (30 to 40 per cent efficient) hydraulic excavators. In addition, the emission at the workplace is zero, reducing the carbon footprint. The higher capacity mining shovels are already electric from the day of inception and the big walking dragline is also completely electric-driven. Moreover, BEML has launched two new dumpers with hybrid power trains, which were designed and developed in-house. The IC engine powers the electric generator and the electric motors integrated into the rear axle are the major power line aggregates of these new dumpers with payload carrying capacities of 150 tonne and 205 tonne. The efficiency of these new dumpers is superior to diesel engines driven with mechanical transmission and axle by almost 5 to 10 per cent. 

These machines are well accepted by the customers. The fuel savings not only make India self-sufficient but also reduces the outgo of foreign exchange and bring down CAD to a manageable level if adopted in a big way.

BEML has adopted a lot of AI (Artificial Intelligence) features in the equipment in the area of lighting, camera vision, and operator fatigue monitoring. These features not only assist the safety of the operator and surrounding people, but it also helps in reducing fatal accidents in the mining area which brings a lot of savings for the mining machinery maintenance department apart from saving crucial lives of the trained staff. AI-enabled preventive and predictive maintenance of the equipment remotely helps reduce the equipment’s maintenance time by better planning the spare parts and maintenance schedule. This improves the productivity of the machines and reduces the running cost considerably.

BEML has taken up the design and development of an all-electric dozer, which uses a Li-Ion battery pack instead of the electric cable adopted in the mining hydraulic excavators developed by BEML. Since the dozer constantly moves around to complete the task, it is very difficult to go with a cable-driven electric dozer. The rapid progress in the development of efficient and safe battery packs is going to revolutionise the construction industry with the development of super/quick charging infrastructures. The charging time will be less than two hours for 0 to 80 per cent charge, which is sufficient for the machine's 4 to 5 hours of usage.