The project at a glance
The customer is a lithium pegmatite mine in central Zimbabwe. The project was young: the pit was just opening, benches were still narrow, and the mine was planning the haul fleet as the pit widened. The tender asked for a truck mix that could handle the short shovel loop on grid power and the longer overburden hauls where charging was not yet available, with parts support for a landlocked site. We paired the YTK105E electric truck on the short loop with rigid units such as the YT3761 on the overburden.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Central Zimbabwe, open-pit lithium pegmatite |
| Material density | ~1.9-2.2 t/m3 (lighter overburden) |
| Bench width | Narrow, ~25-30 m early-stage |
| Short loop | ~1.5 km, grid power at pit |
| Overburden haul | ~3.5 km, no charging access yet |
| Supplied units | YTK105E electric + YT3761 rigid |
| Overland route | Sea to Dar es Salaam, then road to site |
The challenge: a young pit, two duty cycles, landlocked logistics
Two duty cycles, one pit. The shovel loop was short and powered, which is the profile where an electric truck wins. The overburden haul was longer with no charging access yet, which is where a rigid truck still makes sense. Forcing one technology onto both loops would have either over-specified the electric side or wasted the fuel-saving opportunity on the loop.
Light ore, narrow benches. Lithium pegmatite is lighter than copper or iron, and the early benches are narrow. A 70 to 100 t truck would have been over-sized and under-loaded on those benches. The 40 to 60 t class turns in the bench and reaches payload on the lighter material.
Landlocked logistics. Zimbabwe has no coast. Equipment ships to Dar es Salaam or Durban and comes hundreds of kilometres overland by road. That means a missing consumable is not a week away on a domestic truck; it is a two-week round trip. The parts kit had to arrive with the first shipment.
The solution: electric on the loop, rigid on the overburden
We put the YTK105E on the short, powered shovel loop, where the battery covers the loop energy and the truck cuts the fuel line. On the longer overburden haul where charging was not yet in place, the mine runs the YT3761 rigid 50 t truck, sized to the narrow bench and the lighter overburden. As the pit widens and grid power extends to more loops, the mine can step up to more electric units without changing the loading tool.
Drilling on the younger, narrower benches uses a tracked DTH drilling rig for the 90 to 127 mm hole range that suits a small lithium pit. On the parts side, a starter fast-moving-parts kit shipped with the first order: filters, seals, brake linings and battery-pack service items sized to the mixed fleet. Sea freight from Shanghai to Dar es Salaam runs roughly 35 to 45 days, then the overland leg adds another week or two. The kit meant the mine was not waiting on that round trip for day-to-day consumables. The same landlocked-logic support is on the Africa mining equipment page.
The results: fleet mix and uptime after six months
After six months, the mine reported that the YTK105E on the short loop cut fuel cost on that duty cycle, and the YT3761 rigid units held cycle on the overburden haul. The mixed fleet matched the two duty cycles without forcing the mine to wait for grid power on the overburden leg. Reported uptime held at the mine's target, with no major unscheduled stoppage traced to a manufacturing defect in the first six months.
The mine's operations lead noted that the electric truck on the loop "did the job without the fuel bill the diesel units were carrying," and the rigid units fit the narrow benches the way a larger truck would not have. The parts kit covered the early consumables, so the mine did not burn a two-week overland trip on a filter. That is the planning that matters on a landlocked African mine: assume the worst lead time and ship the kit with the order.
Why the mine chose Yutong
The tender came down to the fleet mix, not a single machine. We did not push an all-electric fleet onto a site where half the loops had no charging; we put electric where it paid and rigid where it was needed. Second, the 40 to 60 t class matched the young, narrow pit, so the mine did not over-size and under-load. Third, the parts kit survived the landlocked logistics. The mine now has a template for the next pushback: add electric units as grid power reaches more loops, and keep the 40 to 60 t rigid class for the benches that are still too narrow for larger trucks.
For buyers opening lithium or similar younger pits in southern Africa, start from the bench width and the duty cycle per loop, then decide electric versus rigids loop by loop. The electric range is on the mining dump trucks page, and the narrow-bench drill is on the tracked DTH rigs page. Regional detail is on the Africa mining equipment page.
Frequently asked questions
Why a mixed electric and rigid fleet?
The shovel loop was short and powered, so electric cut fuel cost there. The overburden haul was longer with no charging yet, so rigid trucks made sense. Mixing the two matched each loop's duty cycle.
What is different about lithium rock?
Lithium pegmatite is younger and lighter, around 1.9 to 2.2 t/m3, with narrow early benches. The 40 to 60 t class suits those benches; a 100 t truck would be under-loaded.
How was landlocked logistics handled?
Zimbabwe is inland, so equipment ships to Dar es Salaam or Durban then comes overland. A starter parts kit arrived with the first shipment so the mine was not waiting on a two-week overland trip for a consumable.
What were the results after six months?
The electric truck cut fuel on the short loop and the rigid units held cycle on overburden. Uptime held at target with no manufacturing-related stoppage, and the parts kit covered the early consumables.
Size a mixed fleet for your pit
Tell us the pit country, each loop's length and elevation change, where grid power is available, and the daily tonnage per loop, and our mining engineering team will map electric versus rigid units across the Yutong range. We quote in US dollars on FOB or CIF terms and ship the full customs document set.