China’s mining truck battery conversion boom: retrofit options for mine planners
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan

First reported on International Mining – News
30 Second Briefing
China’s mining truck battery conversion boom is extending beyond Electric Power Conversions Australia’s E-777 (a converted Caterpillar 777D) as multiple Chinese firms push retrofit packages for mid‑range haul trucks in domestic and export markets. Conversions typically replace diesel powertrains with large lithium‑ion battery packs and high‑torque electric drive systems, targeting 50–100 t class trucks widely used in open‑pit operations. For mine planners and maintenance teams, this signals growing aftermarket options for decarbonising existing fleets without full replacement of chassis or mechanical systems.
Technical Brief
- Chinese suppliers are packaging retrofit kits specifically around existing mechanical chassis and driveline interfaces.
- Conversion designs focus on high‑torque electric drive systems to maintain or exceed diesel tractive effort.
- Large-format lithium‑ion packs are configured as modular battery boxes for quicker swap or maintenance.
- Thermal management of battery packs is a core design element for high‑duty, high‑ambient mine cycles.
- Control systems integrate with existing truck hydraulics and braking, minimising changes to operator ergonomics.
- For fleet engineers, retrofits introduce new constraints on power infrastructure, charging bays and traffic management.
Our Take
Within our 775 Mining stories, China appears frequently in relation to mine electrification pilots, suggesting that large-scale battery conversions of fleets like Caterpillar 777D trucks could move quickly from trial to standard practice in that market.
Australia-based Electric Power Conversions Australia (EPCA) working on an E-777 platform positions Australian engineering firms as technology exporters into China’s retrofit space, rather than just suppliers to domestic iron ore and coal operations.
Across the 1,500+ Projects/Product/Sustainability-tagged pieces, most haulage decarbonisation coverage has focused on OEM-built battery trucks, so a retrofit pathway such as EPCA’s offers operators in China a lower-capex route to cut diesel use on existing fleets.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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