Sinotruk electric trucks head for export markets

Sinotruk is accelerating its new-energy push beyond China, previewing electric truck launches, charging ecosystems and application-led strategies as Southeast Asian fleets weigh the business case for lower-carbon transport solutions globally.

Ahead of its exhibit at this year’s IAA, Sinotruk used its 2026 New Energy Partner Conference in Hanoi, Vietnam, to signal a global push into battery-electric, hydrogen and hybrid commercial vehicles. Held from 20 to 23 July, the event drew 1,000 delegates from 62 countries and marked Shandong Heavy Industry Group’s first international conference outside China dedicated to new-energy vehicles.

For Malaysia-based Sendok Group, the conference previewed products, including the battery-electric HOWO TX-EV range and T3H e-Light.

The HOWO TX-EV lineup will include prime movers, dump trucks, cement mixers, cargo vehicles and special-purpose models, with charging and battery-swapping options available.

Sendok Group has sold diesel-powered HOWO TX models for more than a decade. The electric versions are designed to ease the transition for fleets, with Sinotruk targeting parts commonality between diesel and electric derivatives.

The lighter T3H will be offered in diesel and battery-electric form. Sendok Group says it expects the electric T3H to be suited to Malaysia’s charging infrastructure, with heavier electric models to follow.

Sinotruk argues that new-energy truck adoption is increasingly being driven by economics rather than policy. According to figures presented at the conference, Chinese new-energy heavy-truck sales rose from around 10,000 units in 2021 to 230,000 in 2025. Lower battery costs, improved range, expanding charging infrastructure and new business models are reducing total cost of ownership, it said.

That argument was echoed by Sepadu Fleet general manager Lee Kheng Tek, whose company already operates electric vans. He said reduced downtime, fewer service items and lower maintenance requirements were becoming important profit drivers.

Rather than promoting one technology for every operation, Sinotruk says it is taking an application-led approach. Battery-electric trucks are being targeted at closed-loop operations such as ports, terminals and mines, where charging can be established more easily. Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles are viewed as better suited to longer-distance applications requiring fast refuelling, while hybrids are positioned as a transitional option where charging infrastructure remains limited. In Malaysia, attention is likely to focus on operations such as Port Klang container haulage and controlled mining environments.

The conference also highlighted an increasingly familiar point to transport operators: electrification cannot be separated from energy infrastructure. Charging capacity, energy management, aftersales support, battery lifecycle management and residual values all form part of the new business model.

Sendok Group CEO Gwee Bok Wee said the lack of charging stations, relatively low fuel prices and limited local case studies remain barriers to faster adoption in Malaysia. He also pointed to microgrid solutions as a possible answer for mines and quarries operating far from major electricity networks.

Sinotruk says its overseas strategy will increasingly combine vehicles with technical training, spare-parts support and dedicated new-energy aftersales capability. The OEM provides new-energy solutions in more than 50 countries and used the Hanoi conference to unveil its S-EV identity for future clean-energy products. For fleets, however, the decisive question remains commercial.

Johor Quarries Association representative Dato’ Sri Toh Keng Tiong summed it up simply: if electric trucks can demonstrate a stronger business case than diesel, operators will adopt them. That may ultimately matter more than slogans. The next phase of the energy transition will depend not only on new trucks, but on whether the economics, infrastructure and support systems can make them work.