One of the most common questions from fleet operators evaluating electric trucks is: how do we charge them, and how long does it take? This article walks through the three charging architectures we typically recommend for Dongfeng electric trucks in export markets — depot slow charge, opportunity fast charge, and high-power mine-site fast charge — along with the hybrid solar-battery systems that make electric trucks viable at sites with unreliable grid power.
Dongfeng electric trucks are available with three DC fast-charge connector standards:
For buyers in our principal export regions (Africa, Middle East, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Latin America), CCS2 is the default and is what we recommend unless the destination has an existing GB/T infrastructure. AC slow charging (Type 2 / IEC 62196-2) is included for overnight depot charging via the 22 kW on-board charger.
The real-world charging speed depends on the battery pack size and the charger power. The table below summarises the charge times for our two main export configurations:
| Charger Power | TZ3V (600 kWh, CCS2) | TZ5E (400 kWh, CCS2) |
|---|---|---|
| 22 kW AC (overnight depot) | 27 h (0-100%) | 18 h (0-100%) |
| 120 kW DC (small fleet) | 5 h (0-100%) / 3.3 h (20-80%) | 3.3 h (0-100%) / 2.2 h (20-80%) |
| 240 kW DC (standard fast charge) | 2.5 h (0-100%) / 1.7 h (20-80%) | 1.7 h (0-100%) / 1.1 h (20-80%) |
| 360 kW DC (mine-site fast charge) | 1.7 h (0-100%) / 1.1 h (20-80%) | 1.1 h (0-100%) / 0.8 h (20-80%) |
The 20-80 percent window is the realistic working range for commercial-vehicle fast charging, because the BMS limits the upper end of charge to protect cycle life and the lower end is rarely used in operations. Most fleets we work with target the 20-80 percent window for opportunity charging and the 0-100 percent window only for overnight depot charging.
For fleet operators returning trucks to a central depot at the end of every shift, depot overnight charging is the most cost-effective architecture. Typical installations include:
Typical capital cost for a 10-truck depot with smart charging is USD 80,000 to USD 150,000 depending on grid connection availability and solar fraction. Payback on this investment for a 10-truck fleet is typically 18 to 30 months through reduced diesel fuel costs.
For mining and quarry operations where trucks operate continuously and return to a central loading point every 60 to 90 minutes, high-power DC fast charging is the right architecture. Our recommended specification is:
This architecture allows 20 to 30 trucks to operate continuously from a single charging hub, with 90-minute shift cycles including 20-minute opportunity charge windows. For remote sites without grid, the entire hub can be solar-plus-battery powered with diesel generator backup for the rare worst-case week.
For sites with weak or no grid power, we design containerised hybrid charging stations combining solar PV, lithium battery storage, optional diesel backup, and 240 kW or 360 kW DC fast-charge dispensers. A typical 1 MW solar + 2 MWh storage station can charge 6 to 8 trucks per day from pure solar, with the diesel generator kicking in only during low-irradiance weeks.
These containerised stations are prefabricated in our factory in Xi an, shipped as standard 20-foot or 40-foot ISO containers, and commissioned on site in 2 to 3 weeks. They are particularly popular with mining operators in West Africa, the Sahel, and Central Africa where grid power is unreliable.
For very high-utilisation fleets (24-hour operation, fast cycle times), battery-swap stations are an alternative to fast charging. A swap station can exchange a depleted 600 kWh pack for a fresh one in 8 to 10 minutes, faster than any DC fast charger. The trade-off is higher capital cost (one spare battery pack per active truck) and the need for standardisation across the fleet.
We currently offer battery-swap solutions for buyers operating fleets of 20 or more trucks on identical routes, where the standardisation benefit justifies the additional capital. Contact our engineering team for a feasibility study if your operation fits this profile.
For a fleet operator in Sub-Saharan Africa paying USD 0.12 to USD 0.18 per kWh for grid electricity, the energy cost to operate a TZ3V on a typical quarry cycle is approximately USD 0.14 to USD 0.20 per kilometre. With captive solar at USD 0.05 to USD 0.08 per kWh, this drops to USD 0.06 to USD 0.10 per kilometre. Compared with diesel at USD 1.20 per litre and a fuel consumption of 1.6 litres per kilometre (USD 1.92/km), the operating-cost saving is 70 to 90 percent.
Fenghan Trading supplies the full charging ecosystem alongside the trucks:
Charging infrastructure is no longer a barrier to electric-truck deployment. Whether you operate a small urban construction fleet needing only overnight depot charging, or a 50-truck mining fleet requiring 24-hour fast-charge infrastructure, Fenghan Trading delivers the trucks, the chargers, and the engineering to make your transition work. Contact our team for a charging-infrastructure feasibility study and a turnkey quotation.
Explore more at our Dongfeng EV Trucks · Fenghan Trade · Sagmoto Official.