China's 240-Ton Electric Trucks Show That Batteries Can Compete With Diesel in Mining

China’s 240-Ton Electric Trucks Show That Batteries Can Compete With Diesel in Mining

Written by Fabio Lucas Carvalho

Published on 28/09/2025 at 20:10

Caminhões elétricos de 240 toneladas da China desafiam o diesel na mineração. Parceria XCMG e Fortescue acelera descarbonização do setor pesado.

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Heavy mining has always been dominated by diesel, but the arrival of China’s giant electric trucks is starting to change that scenario. With the capacity to transport over 250 thousand kilos and sufficient power to face steep ramps, these vehicles prove that batteries can now compete on equal terms.

The Chinese heavy equipment manufacturer XCMG has strengthened its position in zero-emission mining technology through a strategic partnership with Australian Fortescue. The agreement, made early this month, marks a decisive step towards reducing emissions in heavy mining and highlights the advancement of electrification in large-scale operations.

Strategic Partnership Between XCMG and Fortescue

Under the contract, XCMG will supply up to 200 electric dump trucks of 240 tons. The vehicles are designed to match the performance of diesel machines but without emitting exhaust gases.

Fortescue, one of the largest iron ore exporters in the world, considers the initiative essential to reduce the carbon footprint of its fleet in Australia.

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Zero Emission Combination with Economic Efficiency

According to a statement from Fortescue, recent studies highlight that companies dependent on fossil fuels have increased the intensity and likelihood of hundreds of heatwaves between 2000 and 2023. This reality reinforces legal, regulatory, financial, and reputational risks.

The company advocates for immediate decarbonization actions as a way to mitigate climate and commercial impacts.

By replacing diesel engines with high-capacity batteries, XCMG offers a zero-emission solution without sacrificing power or range, which allows for large-scale operations to continue.

This contract expands a previous agreement from 2024, when Fortescue had already acquired electric auxiliary equipment from the Chinese manufacturer — at that time, the largest international order of green machinery from XCMG.

Andrew Forrest’s Vision and the Global Transition

Andrew Forrest, founder of Fortescue, stated that global trade has moved out of the opening phase and entered a period of fragmentation. For him, uniting forces across different continents is essential to seize decarbonization opportunities and tackle the climate crisis.

The executive also emphasized that China is accelerating the production of green technologies at an unprecedented pace. In this context, partnerships with Chinese manufacturers give Fortescue direct access to the necessary production capacity to speed up its transition to low-carbon mining.

Alliances with Leading Renewable Energy Companies

Fortescue is not limited to its partnership with XCMG. The company has also established agreements with other prominent Chinese companies in the clean energy sector. Among them are BYD, a global reference in electric vehicles and batteries; Longi Green Energy Technology, one of the largest solar technology manufacturers in the world; and Envision Energy, specializing in wind and storage solutions.

With these alliances, Fortescue aims to integrate Australian mining expertise with Chinese industrial capacity, maintaining operational efficiency while drastically reducing emissions. The move positions the company as a benchmark in adopting sustainable technologies in a sector historically dependent on fossil fuels.

China’s 240-Ton Electric Trucks Show That Batteries Can Compete With Diesel in Mining

Strategic Partnership Between XCMG and Fortescue

Zero Emission Combination with Economic Efficiency

Andrew Forrest’s Vision and the Global Transition

Alliances with Leading Renewable Energy Companies

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China’s 240-Ton Electric Trucks Show That Batteries Can Compete With Diesel in Mining

Strategic Partnership Between XCMG and Fortescue

Zero Emission Combination with Economic Efficiency

Andrew Forrest’s Vision and the Global Transition

Alliances with Leading Renewable Energy Companies

A giant printer called the “Ferrari” of concrete has landed in Latin America and can already build a 120-square-meter house in just 48 hours, making the traditional construction site look like something from the last century.

Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt has ceased to be a climatic phenomenon and has become a biological system that feeds on itself, with 8,000 kilometers in length, 37 million tons of algae, and scientists confirm that it is now permanent.

A British company has installed in the middle of the ocean the world’s first floating platform that generates electricity 24 hours a day from the temperature difference between the surface and the depths of the Atlantic, without relying on wind or sun.

China is building an artificial island in the middle of the sea, covering 20 km², to construct the largest offshore airport in the world, the Dalian Jinzhouwan. This $4.3 billion project is anchored on more than 3,000 pillars embedded in the rock beneath the ocean and is scheduled to open in 2035.

A robot named Walter does the work of five bricklayers per hour and can save the construction industry, where the average age of professionals is 46 years and almost no one wants to learn the trade anymore, in the United Kingdom.

Engineers had to pour concrete mixed with tons of ice throughout entire nights in the Dubai desert to erect the Burj Khalifa; any carelessness could clog the pipes half a mile high.

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BYD officially enters the semiconductor race by launching the Xuanji A3, a self-developed chip in China that reinforces the technological verticalization strategy and can reduce costs in millions of smart vehicles.

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