Electric trucks reach half of China's heavy truck sales as diesel demand falls

· Automotive & EV · China

Electric trucks accounted for 50.3% of all heavy trucks sold in China in September, with 33,100 electric big rigs delivered in a single month, up 37% from a year earlier, even as the overall heavy-truck market shrank 21%. The shift is now visible in fuel data: China's diesel demand is on track to fall by roughly 230,000 barrels per day this year. Analysts describe China as moving on from LNG as a stopgap, leaving Western heavy-truck makers facing a widening cost gap as well as a technology gap. The milestone suggests electrification in commercial road freight is advancing faster than in most passenger-car markets, and it puts pressure on global OEMs whose product plans still lean on diesel and gas powertrains for long-haul trucks.

Why it matters：Commercial freight is the hardest segment to electrify, so China's 50% share signals that the cost curve has crossed over — a warning to global truck makers and a structural hit to diesel demand.

Key points

  • September electric heavy-truck sales rose 37% year over year to 33,100 units.
  • The overall Chinese heavy-truck market contracted 21% in the same month.
  • China's diesel demand is set to drop about 230,000 barrels per day this year.

Sources (original reporting)

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