The challenge is seeking innovations to help significantly cut emissions from surface mine operations and unlock safety, productivity, and operational improvements.

Current stationary charging systems require substantial time to charge large trucks, which would result in significant lost productivity.

The mining industry needs multi-megawatt scale fast charging concepts capable of delivering around 400kWh to charge (and propel) a truck within the truck's haul cycle (load, travel, dump, return, queue).

"METS and mining companies are united on the challenge to reduce emissions across the supply chain," said Austmine CEO Christine Gibbs Stewart.

Gibbs said it was also expected the challenge would attract companies from a broad range of sectors outside mining, including the automotive, aerospace, agriculture, and defence sectors.

Rio Tinto group executive, safety, technical and projects Mark Davies said the challenge was a global call-out to innovators to change the way haul truck systems operate in the mining sector.

"Innovation is the key to decarbonisation, and we expect the challenge will deliver exciting new concepts that could drive huge long-term benefits for our industry and the environment," he said

"Partnerships and collaborations across a diverse range of sectors can drive significant technological change. This is an important, industry-wide approach that has potential to create new jobs and opportunities for suppliers, both globally and locally."

BHP Minerals Australia president Edgar Basto said the challenge was expected to stimulate ideas, some of which could be immediately applied to existing diesel-electric equipment.

"We understand that these challenges will not be solved overnight, but together we can find the best concepts that can be applied across the industry," he said.

Expressions of interest for the challenge open on Tuesday.