Earlier this year, Paul Moore, IM Editorial Director, sat down with two senior XCMG executives at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026 in Las Vegas: Zhai Kun, General Manager of XCMG Global Business Headquarters & XCMG Import and Export Co Ltd; and Tao Hong, XCMG North America Mining Machinery Product Manager. The pair discussed the company’s expanding footprint across the globe, with a particular focus on its traction within the North American mining sector.
Q XCMG has been uniquely successful in negotiating contracts or technology MoUs with some of the top global miners, including BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue – what is it about your offering or setup that has got you to this point ahead of other large Chinese OEMs in mining?
First and foremost lies our proprietary technological prowess. Looking ahead, every major mining conglomerate has laid out formal decarbonisation roadmaps targeting net-zero emissions between 2030 and 2050. Yet these operators require viable technology that delivers equivalent or superior performance and reliability to their fossil-fuel counterparts – and this is where XCMG holds a decisive edge. We boast a fully integrated, end-to-end new energy ecosystem, encompassing not just finished mining machinery, but in-house R&D and manufacturing capabilities for core lithium batteries. Our self-developed tech stack covers battery swapping systems, electric wheel drive motors, full electric control architectures, energy management software, and on-mine renewable energy infrastructure tailored for solar and wind generation. We also deliver turnkey autonomous haulage systems and remote teleoperation solutions for mining excavators, all engineered internally.
Zhai Kun (right), General Manager of XCMG Global Business Headquarters & XCMG Import and Export Co Ltd; and Tao Hong (left), XCMG North America Mining Machinery Product Manager with IM Editorial Director Paul Moore
Our massive production scale enables us to commercialise these zero-carbon mining solutions far faster than traditional OEMs, an industry pain point that has long slowed the transition from conceptual prototypes to field-ready hardware. We’ve demonstrated this agility through custom-engineered battery-powered heavy machinery developed for and soon to be delivered to Australian mining partners – including ultra-large wheel loaders, wheeled dozers, and water sprinkler trucks – with the XDE260E all-electric mining haul truck set to join this line-up imminently. We also work very closely with key customers – Fortescue for example today has a dedicated team based in Xuzhou who are working with our engineering and product development teams as the key battery electric equipment is completed and undergoes testing in China before shipment to Australia.
Q The diesel-electric XDE260, the foundation for your upcoming XDE260E electric model, stands as the most commercially successful large-capacity Chinese mining haul truck on the global market today. It is already in active service with major operators including Exxaro, Ok Tedi, CSN Mineraçao, Rio Tinto SimFer and Serbia Zijin Copper. What factors have driven its widespread market success?
This haul truck is engineered to perfectly align with the operational demands of large-scale mining sites, with its robust structural integrity, operational efficiency and throughput thoroughly validated across numerous coal and metal mines throughout Inner Mongolia and other domestic Chinese mining hubs. Many of these sites previously relied on 120-130 t class haul trucks, and the introduction of XCMG’s larger XDE260 model has delivered transformative productivity gains for mine operators. While its payload uplift is incremental rather than revolutionary, this advantage compounds alongside our other value propositions to create an unbeatable competitive package.
Complementing our product strengths, we operate a direct headquarters-to-headquarters sales model for major mining clients. We’ve proven our unwavering service commitment at every mine site you’ve referenced, establishing dedicated local parts warehouses and on-site service teams exclusively supporting our haul truck fleets – often stationed directly adjacent to mine operations. A standout example is our footprint at Simandou: through XCMG Simandou Company, we fielded a specialised team of over 80 technical specialists supporting our large haul trucks, battery-powered wide-body dump trucks, motor graders and other heavy equipment. Our two on-site service facilities cater to both Rio Tinto SimFer and Winning Consortium Simandou.
Beyond localised service staff, we maintain extensive on-site spare parts inventories and purpose-built repair and component remanufacturing hubs near client mine locations. This requires substantial upfront capital investment, yet we prioritise these resources to deliver uninterrupted operational support for our customers.
Q How do you anticipate the large mining equipment market evolving? Will hybrid powertrains and alternative fuels such as methanol serve as a transitional stopgap before battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) achieve mainstream adoption? Additionally, do you expect top-tier miners to shift toward smaller-capacity wide-body dump trucks?
When it comes to new energy powertrains for rigid-frame mining haulers and wide-body dumpers – whether fully battery-electric, hybrid, or alternative-fuel powered – XCMG is already years ahead of the curve, with hundreds of units deployed for commercial operation worldwide. The same applies to our charging infrastructure, most prominently our battery swapping solutions, which have been installed at numerous large mine complexes, many running alongside fully autonomous fleets.
We are also a trailblazer in mixed-fleet autonomous haulage operations. As a key milestone, XCMG delivered a fleet of cabless, battery-swappable autonomous ZNK95 wide-body dump trucks to Inner Mongolia’s Yimin coal mine in 2025, which have maintained consistent, reliable production to this day.
That said, wide-body dump trucks represent only one segment of the new energy mining market. Large rigid-frame haul trucks still hold massive untapped potential across the Americas and Australia – regions where operators are accustomed to maintaining and running this class of heavy machinery. Labour cost pressures further disincentivise mine operators in these markets from switching to smaller dump truck fleets, which would require hiring and training additional drivers.
Our XDE260E fully electric rigid haul truck will launch commercially on schedule, and we are confident in its field performance. This confidence stems from our access to cutting-edge battery and electric motor technology, paired with proven operational experience from our smaller electric rigid haulers like the XDE130E, which are already deployed in high volumes across global mine sites.
Q Shifting focus specifically to the North American market: How is XCMG’s mining business developing there? What are the primary concerns mining operators raise when evaluating your equipment?
Until quite recently, XCMG had minimal brand recognition within the US and Canadian mining sectors, with our presence largely confined to civil construction applications. However, mining is a tightly interconnected global industry, and our proven track record across Chile, Brazil, South Africa, Australia and other international mining hubs has drawn significant engagement from North American mining groups with cross-border operations.
To date, we have delivered a range of articulated dump trucks – including the XDA45U model – and excavators up to the 95 t weight class. These machines are active within Canada’s coal mining industry, as well as major earthmoving projects run by independent contractors and mine owner-operators alike. Mid-size mining equipment carries substantial growth potential through North America’s mining service contractors, with whom we’ve cultivated long-term collaborative relationships.
When clients first evaluate our machinery, after-sales support remains their top priority: they want clarity on how XCMG will maintain and service equipment deployed thousands of miles from our headquarters. Our established support infrastructure at sites like Simandou serves as tangible proof of our commitment to building localised service ecosystems, including dedicated component remanufacturing facilities positioned close to mine operations. These case studies effectively ease customer concerns over long-term equipment support.
Interest in our autonomous mining solutions also runs high across North America, though demand for new energy powertrains has not yet reached the levels seen in Australia. Over the medium term, we anticipate strong uptake for our diesel-electric XDE260 rigid haul truck across US mine sites; this electrification stepping stone resonates strongly with operators looking to lower operational emissions gradually. The 120 t class XDE130 also stands out as a compelling option, delivering meaningful payload improvements for mid-to-large scale mining operations.
All our haul trucks ship factory-equipped with EPA Tier 4 Final compliant engines, and we’ve engineered this emissions-compliant powertrain configuration for our XE950, XE1200 and XE2000 heavy excavators, purpose-built to satisfy North America’s strict regulatory standards.
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