As Qu Shaolong drives his electric truck into a charging station in Yulin, China’s coal hub of Yulin, the country’s energy transition unfolds. Roads in Shaanxi province are filled with coal-hauling rigs, increasingly battery-operated to avoid soaring diesel prices. Qu, 39, says he won’t return to diesel: “Nobody wants to return to a last-generation technology.” He is among thousands driving a shift in the world’s largest oil import market.

Chinese e-truck sales jumped nearly 80% in the first half year-on-year, per Bloomberg NEF, boosted by the US-Iran war and Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries. E-trucks are on pace to account for nearly a third of all rigs sold this year, up from 8% a couple years ago. Diesel consumption in China will drop over 10% this year, per Sinopec Economics & Development Research Institute, helping Beijing navigate the oil shock and limit global price rises while cutting emissions.

Anders Hove of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies notes EV adoption in trucking is accelerating faster than in passenger vehicles due to intensive use and quicker turnover. Li Bao, another Yulin driver, says recharging costs about 200 yuan ($30), less than a third of diesel refueling. An electric heavy-duty truck costs ~600,000 yuan vs. ~400,000 yuan for diesel, per SCI99.

A 200-km journey costs $21 in China vs. $101 in the US. Policymakers promote e-trucking for energy security, leveraging abundant coal and renewable electricity. Since Wuhan’s 2008 light-duty e-truck test, Beijing has expanded policy support, making e-trucking a core transport pillar.