GlobalData Report: China takes the lead in battery powered truck deployment

With an array of suppliers, China's mining industry is embracing battery-powered technology through the adoption of compact electric trucks.

GlobalData highlights the burgeoning frontier of battery technology in mining vehicles, with major operators such as BHP, Fortescue Metals Group, and Teck spearheading electrification initiatives. According to GlobalData's "Development of Electric Mining Vehicles in Surface and Underground Mining" report, several projects are already underway, with a focus on small-scale battery-powered trucks gaining traction, particularly in China.

The report reveals that out of 129 battery-powered trucks tracked globally, China leads with 78 units, constituting 60.5% of the total. Following China are Thailand with 25 trucks and Brazil with 13.

Among the Chinese deployments, Fushan mine in She County, owned by Shandong Honghe Baili Mining, stands out with 40 Yutong YTK90E autonomous electric battery-powered trucks. These trucks boast a load capacity of 60 tonnes, which is standard for the current market of relatively small battery-powered trucks.

Furthermore, the report identifies six other mines in China employing battery-powered vehicles, including 12 at Huolinhe coal mine, nine at Yulong, eight at the Yangquan Jidong project, five at the Tianyang cement project, and two each at the Jilin Hunchun Xiaoxinancha mine and the Qinghai Deerni copper mine.

Yutong and Sany, headquartered in China, emerge as the leading suppliers of battery-powered trucks, collectively representing over 85% of the tracked vehicles. According to the report, the YTK90E and SKT90E models stand out as the most popular offerings for the respective original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).