Sodium-ion batteries are one of the hot new things in the EV and broader cleantech industry. They are providing a next era of electrification. That even includes electric mining trucks now! Hina Battery and Shaanxi Tonly Heavy Industries are collaborating on these mining trucks, which are reportedly the first such trucks in the world. Before I go on and before you scroll past the picture below, try to guess how big the batteries are in these mining trucks. Image courtesy of Hina Battery. The sodium-ion battery systems in these trucks have 676 kWh of energy storage capacity. Depending on the vehicle, that could be for like 10 electric cars. Naturally, we are big fans of such electric mining trucks. Conventional trucks in this industry use an enormous amount of diesel fuel and create a lot of pollution. Electrifying them has a significant impact, and also has the potential to save a mining company a ton of money. The first truck from this partnership has just been delivered to Sanyou Mining. “The vehicle is based on Tonly’s 120E series platform and carries Hina Battery’s in-house developed Haixing series battery system,” CnEVPost shares. “In March 2025, Hina Battery unveiled its Haixing series battery system, with cell energy density exceeding 165 Wh/kg. The company said at the time that the battery could be fully charged in 20–25 minutes and still maintain a cycle life of over 8,000 cycles even in fast-charging mode. Hina Battery said the solution taps sodium-ion batteries’ long cycle life, wide temperature range and high-rate capability, matching mining sites’ cost requirements of smaller packs, fast charging and high utilization.” Hopefully we have news of many more such mining trucks soon and the whole industry electrifies before too long.