Electric Mining Trucks Are Here. These Parts Still Wear

Last month in Jakarta, SANY took orders for more than 500 machines in four days at Mining Indonesia 2026 – and the biggest single order was 150 mining trucks. This month in Zambia, the company started building its first battery-swap station outside China. Electric mining haulage is not a trial anymore. But before you plan a budget around one, ask the question that decides your workshop: what will you still be buying?

1. What the electric drive really removes

A diesel truck lives in the workshop: engine oil, filters, injectors, turbochargers, exhaust aftertreatment, gearbox and clutch work. An electric drive takes most of that off the list. SANY’s new SRT100S even drops the gearbox – the electric motor drives the wheels directly, one less big item to rebuild. Mixed fleet? The diesel trucks still need all of it, so do not empty those shelves yet.

2. Tyres: still the biggest line item

Industry estimates put tyres at 20-25% of a haul truck’s operating cost – second only to fuel. None of that changes when the diesel goes electric: the payload is still 90 tonnes or more, and the battery often adds weight. Two facts are worth pinning on the wall. Up to 75% of mining tyre failures start as cuts and impacts from haul-road debris, according to Caterpillar service data. And the same tyre can run under 4,000 hours on a rough road but over 10,000 hours on a well-graded one. The road is the cheapest spare part you will ever buy.

Photo: sf-dvs, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

3. Brakes: less work, not zero work

On a long loaded downhill, the motor does the retarding and sends energy back to the battery – SANY says the SRT100S electric motor acts as a braking system and reduces wear on the conventional brakes. That is real money. But service brakes still handle every full stop, every dump point, and every flat pit where there is little energy to recover. Brake pads, disc pads and slack adjusters still need eyes on them – keep the same inspection schedule, just expect slower wear.

4. Suspension and steering: the load never changed

The battery adds weight and the payload stays, so every joint carries the same tonnage – or more. King pins, spring center bolts, stabilizer bushings and shock absorbers wear exactly as before, and mine dust still finds every grease point. A knocking rear end sounds the same whether the truck is diesel or electric.

5. Cooling becomes a new parts line

The battery needs its own thermal loop: coolant pumps, fans, filters, hoses and sensors. Miss a cheap pump and you risk the most expensive part on the truck. SANY sells a dedicated electronic water pump for exactly this job – treat the loop like an engine cooling system, with the same weekly checks. Planning a wide-body fleet? Our SKT105S and SKT90S parts catalogs are free to download.

The bottom line: electric takes the engine off your purchase list – and leaves everything that touches the ground on it.

Building a spares list for a mixed fleet? Send us the part number, or a photo of the nameplate or the worn part, and we will quote within one working day. Contact Sagatruck here.

Cover photo: Roy Luck, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Body photo: sf-dvs, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Fleet data: Mining Indonesia 2026 exhibitor reports (September 2026); tyre cost and failure figures from industry maintenance estimates (2026).