Zijin Mining Deploys 290 Custom Electric Haul Trucks with World's Largest Swappable Battery
Chinese mining giant Zijin Mining has deployed 290 bespoke 140-ton electric haul trucks at its Wulagen zinc mine in Xinjiang, solving a problem no manufacturer had addressed: an ultra-class battery-electric hauler that fits existing infrastructure, budget, and operational routes.
When Zijin Mining went shopping for electric haul trucks for its Wulagen zinc mine in Wuqia County, Xinjiang, they found nothing on the market that met their needs. The off-the-shelf electric haulers were either too small, too expensive, or incompatible with the mine's existing infrastructure.
So they built their own.
In partnership with Chinese heavy equipment manufacturer Longking, Zijin developed the LK220E — a 140-ton-class battery-electric haul truck purpose-built for the Wulagen operation. The first unit was unveiled in December 2025. By June 2026, 290 units were on the ground, now handling more than 80 percent of the mine's transport requirements.
A Battery Designed for Uptime
The LK220E's standout feature is its 770 kWh swappable battery pack — what the companies claim is the largest swappable battery in the world. Rather than waiting hours for a charge, operators swap the entire pack in just four minutes, keeping the trucks hauling instead of charging.
This approach is particularly well-suited to mining operations, where vehicles run near-continuously on fixed routes. A conventional plug-in charge session for a battery this size would require significant downtime and an extensive charging infrastructure. Battery swapping eliminates both hurdles.
The swappable packs form part of a broader zero-carbon energy loop at the Wulagen site: local wind and solar generation feeds battery storage, which charges the swap packs. The system is designed to be fully self-sufficient and emissions-free in operation, a key factor in Zijin's long-term decarbonization strategy.
The Numbers: Electric vs. Diesel
The cost advantage is substantial. According to Zijin Mining's 2024 Sustainability Report, the energy cost per tonne-kilometer for the electric fleet is approximately RMB 0.177 — roughly US$0.024. By contrast, equivalent diesel haulers cost up to RMB 0.68 per tonne-kilometer, or about US$0.094.
That is a cost reduction of roughly 74 percent on energy alone, before maintenance savings are factored in. The electric drivetrain has significantly fewer moving parts than a diesel powertrain — no transmission, no exhaust aftertreatment, no fuel injection system — which translates to lower failure rates and simpler maintenance.
Zijin reports that the simpler operation and reduced mechanical complexity also contribute to improved safety, as there are fewer opportunities for mechanical failure and fewer components requiring operator intervention.
Part of a Larger Fleet Transition
The 290 LK220E trucks at Wulagen are just one piece of a much larger picture. Zijin Mining now operates more than 1,700 electric vehicles across its global fleet, with several hundred more deployments planned before the end of 2026 as the company works toward its stated goal of true net-zero operations.
The scale of this deployment makes it one of the most significant real-world tests of heavy-duty mining electrification anywhere in the world. While individual electric mining trucks have been demonstrated by Caterpillar, Komatsu, and others — typically as prototype or small-batch units — few operations have committed to electrification at this scale in such a short timeframe.
What It Means for the Industry
The Zijin-Longking project demonstrates that when existing suppliers cannot meet demand, mining operators are increasingly willing to develop their own solutions. The LK220E was not adapted from an existing diesel platform — it was designed from the ground up as an electric vehicle, which may give it reliability and efficiency advantages over retrofitted designs.
For mining fleet managers and engineers, the message is clear: the business case for electric haulage no longer depends on prototype subsidies or pilot programs. At Wulagen, electric trucks are already delivering better economics than diesel at industrial scale, on some of the most demanding haul routes in the industry.
Sources
- This zinc mine needed a truck no one made, so they made it themselves — Electrek — published 21 Jun 2026
- Zijin Mining highlights 290-strong battery truck fleet at Xinjiang zinc mine — Electrek — published 21 Jun 2026