In what analysts are calling the fastest decarbonization shift in heavy industry history, Chinese battery-electric mining trucks have become the default choice for new fleet purchases across Africa in 2025. From South Africa’s platinum belt to Zambia’s Copperbelt and the emerging lithium fields of Zimbabwe and Namibia, the sight of bright yellow SANY, XCMG, BYD and Shacman electric dump trucks has become commonplace.
The numbers are staggering: Chinese manufacturers exported 1,840 wide-body electric mining trucks to sub-Saharan Africa in the first ten months of 2025 alone — a 285% increase year-on-year, according to China Customs Service data. By comparison, European and North American brands combined delivered fewer than 30 units to the entire continent during the same period.
The economics are irresistible. A typical 60-ton class Chinese electric mining truck achieves a total cost of ownership 20-35% lower than its diesel equivalent over a seven-year lifespan. Electricity costs one-third to one-half of diesel, while maintenance expenses drop by up to 50% due to the absence of engine oil, filters, and complex transmissions.
Impala Platinum in Rustenburg took delivery of 42 SANY SKT90E trucks in 2025. Each vehicle is fitted with a 525 kWh LFP battery and dual 420 kW motors. “We are saving 1.4 million litres of diesel annually on this site alone,” said Gerhard van der Westhuizen, Head of Engineering. “Payback was achieved in 26 months.”
In Zambia, First Quantum Minerals now runs 28 XCMG XDR80E units at Kansanshi, while China Nonferrous has more than 80 electric trucks across its Chambishi and Luanshya operations. In the DRC’s Kamoa-Kakula, one of the world’s largest copper projects, signed a framework agreement with BYD for 120 electric trucks starting delivery in 2026.
Chinese OEMs sweeten the deal with innovative commercial models: battery leasing, pay-per-tonne contracts, and turnkey charging stations often powered by on-site solar plants built by sister EPC companies. SANY opened a 3,000 m² training academy in Johannesburg in March 2025; XCMG has installed 180 MW of charging capacity across 14 African mine sites.
The trend is spilling beyond mining. In Ghana, 120 Shacman electric logging trucks now serve the cocoa industry. In Kenya, Chinese electric tractor units haul tea and coffee to Mombasa port.
As the ICMM’s net-zero-by-2050 pledge looms, Chinese electric trucks have become the only scalable, affordable path for most African miners. Green no longer carries a premium — it carries a Chinese nameplate.
