ZHUCHENG, China, September 30, 2026 — China has put a number on electric truck scale. An implementation plan from the Ministry of Transport and ten other departments sets a target of 1.6 million new-energy heavy trucks in service by 2030, reported on September 28. For the commercial vehicle axle, the buying criterion shifts from peak torque to service life.
The plan sets volume, not technology. Chinese new-energy heavy truck sales rose 182% in 2025 and nearly 80% again in the first half of 2026, taking penetration from under 1% to close to 30% in five years.
Fleet data is now the proof. On September 29 Shaanxi Fast Gear said its Blue Chi new-energy range has passed 180,000 units in service, with cumulative assembly mileage above 10 billion km and a best single vehicle beyond 1.6 million km. It expects 110,000 to 120,000 new-energy sales in 2026 and has lifted e-drive assembly capacity to 250,000 units a year.
Service life becomes the buying criterion. Hande Axle quotes transmission efficiency above 98.9%, a B10 life of 1.8 million km, a 1 million km oil change interval and lifetime maintenance-free wheel ends, valued at 26,000 yuan of extra user income per 100,000 km. On September 29 SAIC Iveco Hongyan put an upgraded large-torque cast-steel wheel-reduction drive axle into service across a 3.866 to 8.88 ratio range for heavy dump vehicles.
Fleets order in hundreds. On September 28, 100 Farizon X7E electric tractors were handed over in Qihe, Dezhou with 405 to 608 kWh battery options and a 525 kW peak motor, and 500 more on order; Dongfeng delivered 100 Tianlong KL battery-swap trucks in Liaocheng.
Where Yihe Axle stands. Zhucheng Yihe Axle Co., Ltd. builds front axles and drive axles for commercial vehicles and supplies new-energy axle assemblies. At 1.6 million trucks, the front axle has to carry, the drive axle has to survive the duty cycle, and the e-axle has to prove its mileage in fleets, not on a test stand.
The takeaway: once a market is measured in millions of trucks, the commercial vehicle axle is bought on verified service life and maintenance-free wheel ends — the specification front axle, drive axle and e-axle suppliers must all meet.
