Zero-emission construction machinery in China, 2025

What is construction machinery?

Figure 1. Major classifications of construction machinery

Note: Equipment types considered in this analysis are shaded blue, with the primary analysis categories indicated by solid fill and the secondary categories shown with a patterned fill.

Recent market trends

China’s construction machinery market doubled from 2012 to 2023, with annual sales rising from 0.78 million to 1.58 million units. Following an industry contraction from 2012 to 2015—primarily driven by tightening real estate policies—the construction machinery sector entered a period of strong recovery, underpinned by infrastructure investment and equipment upgrades to meet emission standards. Annual sales peaked at 1.8 million units in 2021, more than triple the 2015 level of 553,000 units. Though sales dipped in 2022 amid COVID-19 disruptions and a real estate slump, the market recovered in 2023, reaching 1.6 million units, up 2.6% year-on-year.

Forklifts led the market with a 74% share in 2023, followed by excavators (12%) and loaders (7%), together accounting for over 90% of total sales. This reflects growing demand for logistics automation alongside continued strength in traditional machinery segments.

Figure 2. Sales volume and market share of construction machinery categories in China, 2012–2023

Models, manufacturers, and powertrains of zero-emission construction machinery

By the end of 2024, nearly 200 zero-emission construction machinery models had been introduced in China. Excavators and loaders together accounted for over 80% of these models. Excavators led the market with 81 available zero-emission models, followed closely by loaders with 76 models. Rotary drilling rigs have gained traction, with 12 models by the end of 2024, marking rapid progress in a segment that had limited electrification options until recently. In contrast, more specialized equipment such as reach stackers, cranes, road rollers, and bulldozers remain at nascent stages of electrification, with only a handful of available models in each category. This divergence reflects the alignment of market demand and technical feasibility, as equipment with versatile applications, adequate charging infrastructure solutions, and compelling cost-benefit performance may be better positioned for zero-emission breakthroughs.

Figure 3. Zero-emission construction machinery models in China, 2024

Model offerings in China’s zero-emission construction machinery market are concentrated among a group of major players, with the top 10 manufacturers accounting for nearly 73% of all available models as of 2024. Most of these leading companies offered at least 10 electric models, highlighting their strong commitment to electrification. XCMG led with 33 models, followed by SANY (21), LiuGong (18), Shantui (15), and SDLG (14). Yutong, Sunward, Zoomlion, Lishide, and Jingong each accounted for between 7 and 10 models. The expansion of model offerings in the zero-emission construction machinery market suggests that electrification is no longer a niche effort but an increasing focus in product development across the industry. 

The powertrain mix is dominated by battery electric machinery (BEM), which accounted for 65% of available models in 2024, followed by wired electric variants at 20%. Extended-range electric machinery (EREM)—battery-powered machinery equipped with an auxiliary power source, typically a small combustion engine, to generate electricity and extend range—accounted for 8% of the powertrain mix. Other technologies, including battery swap-capable and hydrogen fuel-cell systems, each represented less than 5% of the market.  

Based on the power segments defined in current off-road engine emissions regulations, more than half of zero-emission models available as of 2024 fell within the 75–300 kW range, indicating a strong focus on medium-duty applications, while high-power segments (above 300 kW) remained nascent but are beginning to show signs of expansion. 

Figure 4. Zero-emission construction machinery model distribution by manufacturer, powertrain technology, and regulatory rated power bins (P), 2024

Figure 5. Power and weight distributions of major zero-emission construction machinery categories in China, 2024

Note: Each circle in the figure represents a single model.

Zero-emission loaders 

The loader submarket has demonstrated remarkable progress in the zero-emission transition over the past 3 years. Electric loaders surpassed 10% market penetration in Q2 2024, up from just 1.1% in Q1 2023. Adoption has since accelerated, with electric models capturing 12.4% of total sales in Q2 2024 and 17.1% in Q1 2025. Loaders are thus at the forefront of the zero-emission transition for construction machinery in China.

As of 2024, electric loader models were largely concentrated in medium- to high-power segments, with 27% in the 130–200 kW range and 49% in the 200–300 kW range. This may reflect advances in electrification in applications like the cement and construction industries, where these power ranges dominate. Meanwhile, there is limited electric loader coverage in both the lowest-power (below 56 kW) and highest-power (above 560 kW) categories, which suggests both a technological frontier and a market opportunity for electrification in light-duty and extremely heavy-duty applications in this submarket.

Diesel models, for their part, mostly fall in the mid-power segment (130–200 kW), which comprises 67% of such models, with significantly fewer models (0.2%) in the 200–300 kW range.

Figure 6. Loaders produced in Q1 2025 by powertrain (left) and sales trend of electric loaders from Q1 2022 to Q1 2025 (right)

Figure 7. Power distribution of electric and diesel loader models, 2024

Figure 9. Power and weight distributions of zero-emission loaders by manufacturer, 2024

Zero-emission excavators

In the excavator submarket, diesel powertrains remain the dominant choice, while electric alternatives remain in early stages of adoption with less than a 1% sales share. Electric excavators had virtually no market presence through 2023, with quarterly sales remaining at zero until Q4 2023. Electric penetration gradually climbed to 0.08% by Q1 2025 with a peak of 0.14% in January 2025, signaling a growing market interest in zero-emission models.

Electric excavator models now span all eight regulatory power ranges in China, matching the coverage of conventional diesel models despite their minimal sales volume. They are particularly concentrated in the lowest-power (below 37 kW) and middle-power (130–200 kW) segments, which accounted for 28% and 26% of electric models, respectively, in 2024. The diesel excavator submarket is similarly distributed, with 19% of models in the lowest-power segment, 25% in the middle-power segment, and 17% each in intermediate segments (37–56 kW and 75–130 kW).

The availability of electric models in higher-power segments represents significant progress from the market’s early stage, when electric excavator models were highly concentrated in smaller-power segments. Moreover, the resemblance in power distribution between electric and diesel models implies that electric offerings are increasingly meeting diverse market needs across project scales.

Figure 10. Excavators produced in Q1 2025 by powertrain (left) and sales trend of electric excavators from Q1 2022 to Q1 2025 (right)

Figure 11. Power distribution of electric and diesel excavator models, 2024

Figure 12. Manufacturer distribution of zero-emission excavator models, 2024

Figure 13. Power and weight distributions of zero-emission excavators by manufacturer, 2024

Zero-emission rotary drilling rigs

The rotary drilling rig submarket remains predominantly diesel powered, with electric alternatives still in early adoption stages and sales data yet to be systematically reported in the China Construction Machinery Association (CCMA)’s industry yearbook. Nevertheless, this submarket has demonstrated growing momentum in the zero-emission transition, emerging as one of the leading construction machinery types for electrification after excavators and loaders, with 12 electric models available in 2024. 

Electric rotary drilling rigs already cover most of the power ranges offered by diesel models, indicating strong potential to meet prevailing operational requirements. Diesel models are heavily concentrated in the mid- to high-power segments (75–560 kW), with 72% of offerings falling in the 200–300 kW range, followed by 300–560 kW (14%) and 130–200 kW (11%). Electric models follow a similar distribution, with 50% in the 200–300 kW range and 33% in 130–200 kW range, while lower-power (75–130 kW) and higher-power (300–560 kW) categories each comprise just one model. Expanding into higher-power ranges (above 300 kW) would further improve the coverage of electric models. 

Figure 15. Manufacturer distribution of zero-emission rotary drilling rig models, 2024

Figure 16. Power and weight distributions of zero-emission rotary drilling rigs by manufacturer, 2024