LiuGong India Displays Strength of 29 Electric Machines
“We have sold over 400 EV machines in the last 11 months,” informed Nischal Malhotra, Vice President. “Following the success of our diesel mining equipment, we introduced electric solutions, which are especially successful in iron-ore mines, downhill operations, and dump-to-crusher applications. These include loaders, graders, and excavators, for which we are targeting cement plants, steel plants, crushers, and selected mining projects.”
“Coal India now mandates 20% EV equipment in its tenders, which gives us a first-mover advantage, especially in loaders. The company earlier used very large electric shovels, which were expensive, but now electric mining machines are more affordable. Compared to internal combustion (IC) engines, EV reduces operating costs by nearly 70%. In mining, diesel accounts for 40–50% of total operating cost, so saving 70% of that is a massive advantage. Hence, electric solutions in mining will be a gamechanger.”
“Our excavators work on both engine and cable — simply plug and operate — making them a complete mining-focused solution. Our comprehensive mining range includes 60-ton excavators, 45-ton tippers, 11-ton loaders, and graders. We offer buckets of 9 cubic metres. With just three bucket passes, the tipper is fully loaded.”
“Our tippers, which use a 700-kilowatt battery pack, need charging only once a week, while our loaders and excavators offer huge operational savings, whether cable-or battery-powered, depending on material-handling requirements.”
“Thanks to the swapping technology that we use, our tippers, excavators, and loaders can use the same 423 kW battery pack. A truck fitted with a knuckle-boom crane carries four batteries, which can be swapped one by one. This technology is already being used in China and will be seen in India very soon. At LiuGong, we are ready to implement battery swapping even for heavy equipment.”
“Over the last four years, mining customers have begun shifting to Chinese brands mainly because of their wide-body trucks with 36-cubic-meter bodies. This requires larger excavators, typically 75 to 95 tons, with bucket capacities of 5.4 to 6.5 cubic meters. Performance-wise, these trucks are excellent for up to 100-meter haul distances, and with a fuel consumption of around 26 liters, they can carry 36 cubic meters of load. We offer a 960 excavator with a 4.1 cubic meter bucket and a 95-ton excavator with a 6 cubic meter bucket, both of which are available in cable and battery variants.”
“Since cabling in mines is difficult and costly, we offer power banks of up to 5,000 kW, and if grid power is unavailable, customers can use two power banks: while one operates in the mine, the other is charged, so continuous operation is ensured without downtime. We are currently demonstrating a 423 kW power bank that can easily run a 26-ton excavator without interruption.”
Regarding initial investment and battery life, mid-range EV excavators and smaller loaders are about 2.3 times more expensive than their IC engine equivalents, but for larger machines, the price difference is around 70% higher. For a 16-ton wheel loader operating 4,500 hours a year, the higher investment can be recovered in about 18 months, as the machine life is typically 8–10 years. We give a battery warranty of 5 years or 10,000 hours, and for electrical components the warranty is up to 6,000 hours. Any manufacturing defect typically appears within the first 1,000 hours.
Most EV machines are being imported, however, we are manufacturing a 22-ton cable excavator in India. A new LiuGong plant will be commissioned by the end of 2026, where we will manufacture 45-ton tippers, excavators, and some wheel loaders. The new plant will be highly automated with robotic systems. Customers today inspect everything, from bending, cutting, and welding to material storage, before placing large orders.
“EV is the future. We are confident enough to offer buyback on any brand of machines and replace them with our EV version. This confidence comes from the technology. We believe that mining will move to EV, but infrastructure construction will continue with IC engines for now,” he concluded.
Published on:
13 January 2026
Published in: NBM&CW JANUARY 2026
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