Heavy-haul duty — 120 tonnes gross combination weight hauling ore, modules, and project cargo between mine and port — is the most punishing electric truck application on the board, and the one where diesel has defended its ground longest. The Dongfeng TE8P 8x4 electric tractor (480–600 kWh CATL LFP, 420–510 kW, 120 t GCW) now challenges the diesel 6x4 prime mover directly. This article runs the eight-year total cost of ownership on real mining and project-cargo numbers, not brochure hopes.
We model a single tractor on a 120 km round trip, six days a week, 300 days a year, at 120 t GCW — a conservative mine-to-rail or mine-to-port circuit. Over eight years that is roughly 230,000 km of heavy haul. The diesel reference is a 6x4 prime mover in the same GCW class. The variables that decide TCO are fuel versus electricity, maintenance, residual value, and payback timing. The route is fixed and the depot has power, which is exactly the profile where the electric tractor performs best and the diesel’s fuel bill is the largest single cost.
| Specification | TE8P Electric | Diesel 6x4 |
|---|---|---|
| Configuration / GCW | 8x4 / 120 t | 6x4 / ~120 t |
| Energy source | 480–600 kWh CATL LFP | Diesel tank, ~400–600 L |
| Power | 420–510 kW LvKong PM | ~380–500 kW |
| Real-world range | 180–300 km | ~900–1,200 km |
| Battery / engine warranty | 8 yr / 4,500 cycles | ~5 yr / 1,000,000 km |
| FOB price band | US$150,000–180,000 | US$90,000–120,000 |
The electric tractor costs more up front — US$150,000–180,000 against US$90,000–120,000 for the diesel — but the energy and maintenance curves invert the economics over the asset life.
At 120 t GCW the diesel burns roughly 38–45 L per 100 km of heavy haul; at a project-site diesel price of US$1.10–1.30 per litre that is about US$0.45–0.58 per km in fuel. The TE8P draws roughly 1.7–2.1 kWh per km under the same load; at an industrial electricity tariff of US$0.08–0.14 per kWh that is about US$0.14–0.29 per km. The energy saving alone is US$0.20–0.30 per km, or roughly US$45,000–70,000 per tractor over eight years of this duty. Where the mine runs its own solar or off-peak power, the electricity cost falls further and the saving widens toward US$0.35 per km.
The electric drivetrain deletes the diesel’s most expensive failure surface — the engine, aftertreatment, turbo, and cooling loop that heavy haul punishes hardest. Realistic annual maintenance comparison:
The maintenance story is not only cost but availability: the diesel’s aftertreatment and turbo are the components most likely to strand a loaded tractor on a remote haul road, whereas the electric drivetrain’s few moving parts mean fewer roadside failures and fewer recovery calls that cost a shift of production.
Diesel heavy-haul tractors depreciate steeply after year five as emission standards tighten and engine wear mounts. The TE8P’s CATL LFP pack, warranted to 70% SOH at 4,500 cycles, retains usable range and resale value through year eight. Combining the lower energy and maintenance with the pack warranty, the TE8P typically reaches payback against the cheaper diesel in roughly year three to four on this duty, then banks the difference for the remaining life. For a mine running forty such tractors, that is a seven-figure swing to the operator’s favour. The payback point also moves earlier wherever the mine’s own power is cheap, so site-specific tariffs should be modelled rather than assumed.
Operators should settle three points before committing. First, confirm the round-trip distance sits inside the 180–300 km real-world range with margin for loaded grades and heat; opportunity charging at the port or rail head covers longer circuits. Second, build the depot charger bank for the simultaneous return of the shift, not the average draw, because a loaded fleet arriving together pulls hard for an hour. Third, train drivers on regenerative braking discipline — on a 120 t descent the recovered energy is large and the pad life extension is real, but only if the brake blended correctly. Fenghan commissions the fleet on site so these habits are set on day one.
The TE8P wins where the route is fixed, the depot has industrial power, and the round trip fits the 180–300 km range with opportunity charging — exactly the mine-to-port and project-corridor profile. It is not yet the tool for open long-haul at 120 t across thousands of kilometres without charging infrastructure. The Dongfeng TE8P electric tractor is documented for this duty, and Chilean mining operators can read our Chile electric truck market guide for corridor and tariff detail.
On 120 t heavy-haul duty with a fixed circuit, the Dongfeng TE8P electric tractor beats the diesel 6x4 on eight-year TCO by a wide margin once the energy and maintenance savings compound past the higher purchase price around year three or four. For mining and project-cargo fleets with depot power, the rational heavy-haul decision is now electric.
On 120 t duty with a fixed mine-to-port circuit, the TE8P typically reaches payback against the cheaper diesel in roughly year three to four. The energy saving of US$0.20–0.30 per km plus the US$50,000–75,000 of maintenance avoided over eight years compounds past the US$60,000–90,000 higher upfront cost, then banks the difference for the remaining life.
Yes. The TE8P is an 8x4 electric tractor rated for 120 t GCW, with 420–510 kW of LvKong permanent-magnet power and a 480–600 kWh CATL LFP pack. Its real-world range of 180–300 km fits the short, fixed haul circuits that dominate mining and project-cargo duty, with opportunity charging at the port or rail head.
The electric drivetrain deletes the diesel engine, aftertreatment, turbo, and cooling loop that heavy haul punishes hardest. Realistic annual maintenance falls from roughly US$11,000–15,000 on the diesel to about US$4,500–6,500 on the TE8P, a gap of US$50,000–75,000 per tractor over eight years, plus fewer roadside failures.
The CATL LFP pack carries an 8-year / 4,500-cycle warranty to 70% state of health, which covers the repeated deep discharges of daily heavy haul. That warranty also supports residual value, because a pack still within SOH at year eight retains usable range and resale value the diesel cannot match.
The TE8P is not yet the tool for open long-haul at 120 t across thousands of kilometres without charging infrastructure. It wins on fixed circuits with depot power and opportunity charging; for remote, gridless, very-long corridors a diesel or a hydrogen pilot remains the interim answer until charging reaches the route.
Ready to electrify your fleet? Contact Shaanxi Fenghan Trading — authorized Dongfeng EV truck exporter. WhatsApp: +86 153 1943 1311 | Email: sales@fenghan-trade.com | dongfengevtrucks.com
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