Automotive
Electric trucks reached about half of China's September heavy truck sales
Electrek reports electric trucks made up 50.3% of China's heavy truck sales in September, as diesel demand is projected to fall.
The short version
- Electrek reports electric trucks made up 50.3% of China's heavy truck sales in September.[Electrek]
- Overall heavy-truck sales fell 21% that month, while electric heavy-truck sales rose 37% year over year.[Electrek]
- According to Electrek, China's diesel demand is on track to fall about 230,000 barrels per day this year.[Electrek]
- CATL plans 900 heavy-truck swap stations by year-end and 2,000 in 2027, though its savings claims are company-stated.[Electrek]
Key facts
- Electric trucks made up 50.3% of all heavy truck sales in China in September, totaling 33,100 units.[Electrek]
- China's overall heavy-truck market shrank 21% in September, while electric heavy-truck sales rose 37% from a year earlier.[Electrek]
- China's diesel demand is on track to fall by about 230,000 barrels per day this year.[Electrek]
- A study by the ICCT and China's CATARC found battery-electric trucks about 19% cheaper per tonne-km than diesel in good conditions.[Electrek]
- CATL's Qiji brand operated about 300 heavy-truck swap stations at the end of 2025 and plans 900 by the end of this year and 2,000 in 2027.[Electrek]
What remains uncertain
- CATL's claimed savings of about 0.6 yuan per km are company-stated and not independently verified in the reporting.[Electrek]
- The 230,000 barrel-per-day diesel decline is a projection for this year, not a completed measurement.[Electrek]
- The independent ICCT and CATARC cost advantage holds only in good conditions and weakens at low annual mileage or when battery weight cuts payload.[Electrek]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.