Grasberg, under the Freeport group, is the location of the world's largest gold mine and the second largest copper mine. In the rainforest of the highlands of Papua New Guinea, 400-tonne mining trucks of model 980E tirelessly operate on the slippery slopes day and night, with the low rumbling of diesel engines echoing through the valleys. This scene is also repeated every day at the Batu Hijau mine operated by Amman Mineral Company.
They are also under dual pressures: on one hand, the expansion of global electric vehicles and renewable energy is driving up copper demand; on the other hand, the cost of diesel and carbon emission regulations are continuously tightening. In large open-pit mines, fuel expenses typically account for 20% to 40% of the transportation operation costs. When oil prices fluctuate combined with the advancement of Indonesia's B40 Bio-Diesel Policy, the efficiency and cost structure of the mine transportation system are facing a re-examination.
Against this backdrop, the Cummins QSK95 diesel platform has long defined the productivity ceiling for super-large mine trucks; and its hybrid retrofit solution based on the First Mode technology may become a game-changing variable.
QSK95: Benchmark for Super Large Mining Trucks' Production Rate
QSK95 is the flagship power system developed by Cummins for 320–400 ton mining trucks: with a 95-liter displacement and a 16-cylinder structure, it has a maximum output of 4,400 horsepower and a peak torque of approximately 13,000 pound-feet. This platform is widely used in Komatsu 980E/960E and other super-large mining trucks.
According to Cummins' public route research data, in real mining transportation conditions, the 4,400-horsepower power system can achieve a 11%–24% productivity improvement compared to the 3,500-horsepower model. The advantages mainly lie in:
• Stronger acceleration capability on loaded uphill
• Simplified single cycle time
• Significant increase in ton/hour
Currently, more than 1,200 QSK95 devices are in operation worldwide. For mining areas like Grasberg with daily transportation volumes of several million tons, even a small difference in cycle efficiency can be magnified into a considerable annual production capacity gap.
However, the drawbacks of the pure diesel system are also quite obvious:
• High fuel consumption during full-load long slopes
• Increased maintenance pressure due to tropical high humidity and dust conditions
• Higher requirements for combustion and maintenance as the proportion of biodiesel in Indonesia is increased
Therefore, the fuel bill for each vehicle has become a sensitive indicator for the mine management.
Hybrid transformation: Based on the First Mode technology, it ensures the on-site upgrade of the engine.
Cummins entered the field of mining truck hybridization through the First Mode technology. Its technical approach is not "whole machine replacement", but "in-service upgrade".
The system structure includes:
• Keep the original diesel engine
• Add a modular battery system
• Integrate regenerative braking device
• Provide electric auxiliary drive
Here comes the key point: The core logic lies in utilizing the braking energy recovered during the empty-load downhill travel of the mining truck to provide torque assistance for the fully-loaded uphill journey, thereby reducing the unit fuel consumption.
In February 2026, the first 300-ton Komatsu hybrid mining truck achieved commercial operation in the Caserones copper-molybdenum mine in Chile. The mine is located at an altitude of over 4,000 meters, with a steep slope and a long looping distance, and the transportation conditions are comparable to those of large copper mines in Indonesia.
The post-renovation operation data shows:
• Fuel consumption decreased by 10% to 30%
• Carbon emissions decreased by approximately 25% simultaneously
• No significant capacity loss was observed
• The equipment utilization rate remained stable
So in the operational scenario in Indonesia: Can the advantages of hybrid technology be magnified?
This depends on several key characteristics of the Indonesian copper mines:
1. Steep slopes and long transportation distances - regenerative braking technology has room for application
2. High rainfall environment - high frequency of braking energy recovery
3. Limited power grid conditions - large-scale deployment of pure electric mining trucks is difficult
4. High dependence on diesel - significant improvement in cash flow from fuel savings
At the productivity level, the comparison between the traditional solution and the hybrid solution can be summarized as follows:
Traditional QSK95 fleet
• Highly capable of achieving peak output
• Optimal cycle time
• Technologically mature with a well-established maintenance system
• Suitable for extreme throughput scenarios on high-frequency, flat routes
Hybrid fleet
• Unit fuel consumption reduced by 10% - 30%
• Torque assistance during uphill stages may improve acceleration performance
• Slight increase in self-weight, but efficiency improvement can partially offset it
• Significantly greater benefits in mining areas with a high proportion of downhill sections
If the goal is to achieve maximum throughput, in mining areas with gentle slopes and stable transportation distances, pure diesel QSK95 still has an advantage.
If the goal is to optimize unit cost and carbon intensity, in mining areas with significant slope variations and a high proportion of downhill sections, hybridization upgrades are more attractive.
From an economic model perspective, in mining areas where diesel costs are higher, the investment payback period for hybridization upgrades may be within the 2 to 3 years. For mines with an annual copper production of several million tons, this savings scale is sufficient to influence capital allocation decisions.
Conclusion: The conclusion requires empirical verification.
For copper-gold mines in Indonesia, the true answer will not come from a single case, but will depend on the empirical data from the next 12-24 months.
If real vehicle tests confirm a stable fuel-saving effect of more than 10%, it will only be a matter of time before hybrid test fleets appear in Grasberg or Batu Hijau. At that point, the question will no longer be "whether to adopt", but "how quickly to deploy".
For companies like Freeport-McMoRan and Amman, reducing the carbon intensity of unit copper production is conducive to entering the low-carbon supply chain in Europe and the United States; if they invest in hybrid technology in advance, it will help them cope with future carbon border adjustment mechanisms; in addition, upgrading the fleet without replacing the entire vehicle assets will have less capital pressure.
However, risks also exist: How will the battery perform in high-temperature and high-humidity environments? Will spare parts and technical support systems in remote areas like the Papua Islands be promptly synchronized? More importantly, if copper prices enter a fluctuation cycle in the future, the capital expenditure willingness of enterprises for energy-saving renovations may change.
It seems that the power revolution of super-large mine trucks may not come in the form of a complete replacement of diesel by batteries, but will start with a seemingly mild"upgrade and transformation.