Zijin unveils 350 tonne battery-electric dump truck
Zijin Longking is expanding its range of electric mining vehicles with the ZL230E. The new battery-electric dump truck can transport up to 230 tonnes of material and is said to charge its battery to 90 per cent in 25 minutes.
Chinese mining equipment manufacturer Zijin Longking unveiled the ZL230E in early August. According to the company, the vehicle was developed in-house and is designed for intensive, continuous operation in open-pit mining. With a tare weight of 120 tonnes and a maximum payload of 230 tonnes, the battery-electric dump truck achieves a permissible gross weight of up to 350 tonnes, while its dump body can hold up to 125 cubic metres when heaped.
For propulsion, Zijin Longking uses a multi-axle system with independently driven axles. Two electric motors, each delivering 800 kW, provide a combined output of 1.6 MW. Power is distributed to the individual axles depending on the driving situation, ensuring high sustained performance even during loaded uphill drives and long haul routes. While Zijin has not disclosed details about the cell chemistry, the battery capacity is known to be around 1,400 kWh, with a charging time of 25 minutes to reach a 90 per cent state of charge. To operate under demanding conditions, the ZL230E is additionally equipped with an exceptionally rigid frame, redundant braking and steering systems, dual chassis control, and an intelligent energy management system.
The ZL230E is not an isolated project. Zijin has been advancing the electrification of its mining fleet for several years. At the end of 2025, Zijin Longking introduced the LK220E, a self-developed battery-electric dump truck. The newly unveiled ZL230E, previously developed under the designation LK350E, expands the portfolio into a significantly higher payload class.
The company is gaining practical experience, among other sites, at the Julong Copper Mine in Tibet, where several battery-electric dump trucks built by Zijin Longking, each with a 140-tonne payload, are already in operation. According to the company, each vehicle moves more than 2,000 tonnes of material per day, achieves an availability of over 90 per cent, and consumes more than 17 per cent less energy than comparable diesel-powered vehicles.
Zijin is pursuing various concepts for energy supply: while the ZL230E relies on rapid recharging, swappable batteries are used at other sites. For example, in the Xinjiang Zijin Zinc Mine, battery swapping is carried out automatically. In the future, the company plans to combine electric trucks with wind and solar energy, stationary storage systems, and charging and battery-swapping infrastructure.
This expansion is driven by an ambitious goal: Zijin aims to replace conventional mining trucks with electric models within three years. The company estimates that the cost per tonne-kilometre of its electric trucks in Chinese mines is already around 29 per cent lower than that of vehicles with internal combustion engines. However, Zijin has not yet specified when the new ZL230E will enter mass production or be delivered to the first mines.