The Dongfeng TE8P and Dongfeng TE9L are both EV truck tractors built on the same CATL LFP skateboard platform, but they scale to different freight jobs. The TE8P is a 6x4 prime mover with a 424 kWh pack and a 420 kW LvKong motor, rated at GCW 49 t and 300 km range on a single charge. The TE9L steps up to a 500 kWh pack, a 510 kW motor, GCW 60 t and 330 km range. For fleets running regional and cross-border corridors, the buying question is not which model is "better" but which duty cycle each one pays for. This comparison gives procurement teams a hard spec table and a route-length decision rule before they commit FOB capital that ranges from $85,000 to $120,000 across the two trucks.
| Metric | Dongfeng TE8P | Dongfeng TE9L |
|---|---|---|
| Configuration | 6x4 prime mover | 6x4 prime mover |
| Battery (CATL LFP) | 424 kWh | 500 kWh |
| Motor (LvKong) | 420 kW | 510 kW |
| Peak torque | 2,400 Nm | 2,800 Nm |
| Gross combination weight | 49 t | 60 t |
| Range (loaded) | 300 km | 330 km |
| DC fast charge 20-80% | 60 min | 70 min |
| Battery swap | 5-6 min | 5-6 min |
| FOB price | $85,000-$105,000 | $95,000-$120,000 |
The two electric tractors share the same cab, the same electronic architecture and the same 8-year / 4,500-cycle battery warranty, so driver training and workshop tooling carry across both models. The real differences are pack size, motor power, GCW rating and the FOB gap that opens from $10,000 to $15,000 at the top of each range.
On paper the TE9L wins 30 km of extra range, but range is only half the story. The TE8P holds GCW 49 t, which covers the bulk of regional box, curtain-side and refrigerated work. The TE9L adds 11 t of GCW headroom for heavier tenders, double-drop construction loads and full 60 t cross-border combinations. If your corridors never exceed 49 t, the TE8P gives you the same 300 km window on a smaller, cheaper pack. If you run 55-60 t regularly, only the TE9L stays legal and efficient.
Both trucks recharge to 80 percent in roughly an hour on a 360 kW DC unit, or swap a pack in 5-6 minutes where a swap station exists. In hot climates the LFP chemistry holds capacity better than NMC, so the stated range stays close to real-world figures even at 45 degree ambient.
| Operating condition | Recommended model |
|---|---|
| Round trip 200 km, GCW 49 t | TE8P |
| Round trip 300 km, GCW 49 t | TE8P (single charge) or TE9L |
| Round trip over 330 km, GCW 49 t | TE9L with midday swap |
| GCW 55-60 t any distance | TE9L |
| Strict $90,000 FOB ceiling | TE8P |
Use a simple 330 km rule. If your longest loaded leg plus return stays under 300 km, the TE8P covers it on one charge with reserve for cab loads and gradation. If the loop is 300-330 km and you run a swap station, either truck works. Beyond 330 km you need the TE9L plus a 5-6 minute swap mid-shift, or you drop to a partial-load strategy. Grade is the hidden variable: a 6 percent sustained climb can cut real range by 20-30 percent, so mountainous corridors should size the pack up, not down.
The FOB delta of $10,000 to $15,000 looks large until you weigh it against energy and maintenance savings. A diesel 6x4 tractor burns about 0.38 L per km; the electric equivalent costs roughly $0.12 per km on grid power versus $0.36 per km on diesel. Over 90,000 km a year that is about $21,600 saved per truck, which recovers the price gap in under a year for high-utilisation fleets. The TE9L only earns its premium where the 60 t GCW or 330 km range is actually required.
In Saudi Arabia the corridor connects Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah and the industrial cities with long, hot, flat highways where LFP range holds up well. The TE8P suits dedicated regional shuttles under 300 km; the TE9L suits the 400 km plus inter-city runs where a swap station or a second charged unit keeps trucks moving. Importers can review electric trucks in Saudi Arabia for grid capacity and homologation before committing capital.
Full datasheets and option lists sit on the model pages for the Dongfeng TE8P electric tractor and the Dongfeng TE9L electric tractor, including axle ratios and fifth-wheel heights for your trailer fleet.
A corridor fleet should size the yard before the trucks arrive. The TE8P 424 kWh pack returning from a 300 km shift typically lands at 25-35 percent state of charge, so a refill draw is about 280 kWh. On a 360 kW DC unit that is 47-55 minutes; on 180 kW it is 95-110 minutes, which means two trucks share one charger on staggered shifts. Plan the transformer for peak simultaneous draw plus 30 percent headroom, keep cable runs under 30 metres, and meter each bay so energy cost per truck stays visible. In Saudi Arabia, where summer peaks above 45 degree, derate chargers 10-15 percent for heat and give the yard shade so the cooling load does not cut charge rate. A 350 kWh pack on a 120 kW wallbox climbs 20-80 percent in about 105 minutes, fine for overnight but not for a turnaround shift.
Both tractors carry the Dongfeng 8-year / 4,500-cycle LFP warranty with a 70 percent state-of-health guarantee, which protects resale because the pack is warranted long after year five in many duty cycles. Fleets can lease the pack to lower FOB by $10,000-$20,000 and shift degradation risk to the lessor. Documented cycle logs lift used-truck price, so keep the battery record from day one and hand it to the buyer at year five. Saudi fleets also benefit from the long, flat corridor profile, where LFP holds 95-98 percent of nominal range through summer heat, removing the winter-range penalty that diesels quote in colder markets.
| 5-year line (450,000 km) | TE8P | TE9L |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | $54,000 | $58,000 |
| Maintenance | $17,000 | $18,000 |
| FOB (mid range) | $95,000 | $107,000 |
| Year-5 resale (40%) | -$38,000 | -$43,000 |
| Net 5-yr cost | Lower | Higher unless 60 t needed |
Because both share the LFP pack and the 8-year warranty, the maintenance lines are close; the decision really is FOB plus GCW. Pick the TE8P unless the 60 t rating or the 330 km loop forces the TE9L, and you keep $12,000-$15,000 of capital working elsewhere in the fleet. The TE9L only wins where the extra 11 t of GCW or the 30 km of range is booked every week, not on a worst-case Tuesday.
With the spec table, the duty-cycle matrix and the 5-year TCO above, the procurement step is straightforward: confirm your longest loop, confirm GCW, and pick the model the matrix names. Request the TE8P or TE9L datasheet from the model pages, ask the exporter for the pack-lease option, and book the depot transformer application the day you sign. Fleets that plan the yard and the warranty together avoid the two most common delays: a charger that arrives after the truck, and a pack lease that was never quoted. Keep one driver group across both tractors so training cost stays flat as the fleet grows from five trucks to fifty.
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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