Chinese construction equipment manufacturer XCMG has delivered two large battery-electric mining machine prototypes to Australian mining company Fortescue, marking progress on a major order for zero-emission heavy equipment.
The prototypes—a fully electric wheel loader designated XC9260BEWL and an electric wheel dozer XC9260BEWD—were presented to a Fortescue delegation at XCMG’s facility in Xuzhou, China. The company said both machines are the largest electric models of their type currently developed.
Fortescue had previously announced plans to invest more than $400 million to procure over 100 battery-electric mining vehicles from XCMG as part of its decarbonisation strategy. A subsequent agreement expanded cooperation to include 300 to 400 zero-emission haul trucks with a payload capacity of about 240 tonnes.
“The rollout of these custom-built prototypes marks a new milestone in our collaboration,” XCMG President Lu Chuan said, adding that the company would leverage its full industrial capabilities to support Fortescue’s projects and the transition toward lower-emission mining operations.
Fortescue Co-Chief Executive Gus Pichot said the new machines represent tangible progress toward the company’s climate targets. “These prototypes demonstrate real progress in deploying decarbonization technologies and achieving true zero emissions by 2030,” he said.
The equipment will now be shipped to Fortescue’s iron ore operations in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, where field testing will assess performance under real mining conditions and guide further optimisation before potential large-scale deployment.
Fortescue has been actively pursuing electrification of its heavy equipment fleet. In addition to the XCMG contracts, the company signed a separate $2.8 billion agreement with Liebherr for hundreds of autonomous electric haul trucks and dozens of electric excavators and bulldozers—one of the largest deals in the mining equipment sector.
Industry analysts say electrifying ultra-large mining machinery poses significant technical challenges due to high energy requirements, harsh operating environments and the need for robust charging or battery-swap infrastructure. However, mining companies are increasingly investing in such technologies to reduce emissions and operating costs over the long term.
