Sodium-Ion Electric Haul Truck Begins Mining in China
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- Tonly Heavy Industry and Hina Battery co-developed the 676 kWh "Haixing" sodium-ion battery fitted to Tonly K120E electric haul trucks now operating at the Tangshan Sanyou limestone mines in what the source calls a world's-first deployment
- The Haixing pack delivers 165 Wh/kg energy density, charges from 0% to 100% in under minutes, and is rated for an 8,000-cycle usable lifespan with improved thermal stability over lithium-ion
- The trucks are purpose-built for northern China's coldest regions — Harbin and Shenyang, where nighttime temperatures hit -20°C — where the source says lithium range collapses and diesel engines struggle to start
- Tonly separately announced it will deliver 800 autonomous TLE135 mining trucks to Xinjiang Hanxiang, signaling the company is scaling sodium-ion and electric mining equipment from a single mine to fleet orders
- The article frames the value proposition as lower emissions, reduced diesel-noise hearing loss, fewer cold-related operator injuries, and autonomous all-weather performance — and no lithium supply-chain exposure
Why it matters: Mining operators in cold climates get a viable electric alternative to diesel haul trucks — sodium-ion chemistry sidesteps both the lithium supply-chain question and the cold-weather range penalty that have sidelined BEVs in ultra-class mining. Tonly's 800-truck Xinjiang order shows the technology is moving from a single-mine demo toward fleet-scale rollout.
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