Zijin Mining couldn’t find an ultra-class electric haul truck that could get the job done at its Wulagen mine in Wuqia County, Xinjiang, so they designed their own: a 140-ton BEV haul truck with a huge, 770 kWh swappable battery pack. Then they built 290 of them. (!) Xinjiang Zijin Zinc is one of the largest mining operations in China, and the world. Despite its size, however, this zinc mine is surprisingly clean, using a smart, zero-carbon transport loop involving local wind, solar, and battery energy storage resources to slash carbon emissions, and costs. As such, choosing to transition its truck fleet from diesel to battery power was a no-brainer. The energy cost per tonne kilometre for electric mining trucks is only about RMB0.177, compared to as high as RMB0.68 when using fossil energy. In addition, the safety and operating efficiency of electric mining trucks have notable advantages over diesel trucks. With fewer complex transmission components … these trucks have a much lower failure rate than that of fossil fuel vehicles. Moreover, the simpler operation of electric vehicles reduces the risk of accidents due to operational errors. Finding an electric haul truck that could meet the mine’s needs and fit into both its established infrastructure and budget proved to be more challenging than expected – but Xinjiang Zijin had an idea, the Longking CEO’s direct number, and whatever the Chinese equivalent of an Adidas gym bag full of cash is. Co-developed by Zijin and Longking, the LK220E is a unique, 140-ton-class electric haul truck equipped with a whopping 770 kWh battery pack that, according to Zijin, is the world’s largest swappable battery. And, with battery swaps taking just four minutes, the LK220E can spend more time hauling and less time charging. Exactly what Zijin needs to keep the dirt moving,