(Yicai Global) June 6 -- After China released new policies encouraging the use of heavy-duty trucks powered by new energy sources to promote carbon reduction, many Chinese truck brands have released new electric vehicle models with a longer range.

Yutong Bus, a supplier of new energy buses, recently unveiled an electric heavy-duty truck with a battery cell of 513 kilowatt-hours giving a range of 400 kilometers. It also introduced an all-electric bus with a nominal range of 350 km that managed to run for 320 km with an ambient temperature of minus 27 degrees Celsius earlier this year.

Most electric heavy-duty trucks have a range of only 100 km to 150 km despite having batteries of more than 200 kWh, given their weight. Solving the range issue may help companies in this market seize a significant market share.

Chinese engineering machinery giant Sany Group recently announced that it will launch a new electric heavy-duty truck model with a 1,165 kWh battery that will allow the vehicle to run for 800 km on a single charge.

FAW Jiefang Group, the truck manufacturing arm of carmaker FAW Group, told investors that one of its battery tractors has a maximum range of 500 km.

Commercial fuel-powered vehicles account for about 60 percent of the total carbon emissions from China’s 319 million commercial and passenger vehicles, said Sun Fengchun, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and professor at the Beijing Institute of Technology.

Domestic sales of new energy commercial vehicles jumped 16.5 percent to 50,960 units in the first three months of 2023 from a year earlier because of the introduction of the new policies.

Editors: Shi Yi, Futura Costaglione