It sounds like a broken record, but a company with no prior passenger-vehicle-making experience made a battery electric truck again. This time, it’s Sany Group, a Chinese company that makes cranes, excavators, trucks, and other work-oriented vehicles. Leaked images prove that the company is working on a passenger electric pickup. Patents for the EV are registered under a company called Hunan Xingbida Network Technology, which Sany Group owns. Here’s what we know about the crane and excavator maker’s new pickup.

Sany Group is making a battery-electric truck

Images uncovered by Car News China show the new battery-electric truck and the registered patents. Moreover, the design is typical of a pickup with a futuristic, electric spin. An illuminated Sany logo sits between two LED daytime running lights on the front. Those LEDs run vertically down the front fascia, which gives the pickup a unique look. In addition, the tailgate features an LED light bar, with LED taillights to match. Lastly, the base of the bumper has lights on it as well, which stand out a bit from other models.

Unfortunately, the images only feature the exterior of the new truck. Photos of the interior remain unavailable for now. Overall, the design looks influenced by the Tesla Cybertruck, but with a classic pickup truck shape. Doors and panels have concave and protruding sections, and the black wheels have a unique style we haven’t seen before. Finally, the front and rear doors feature running boards, making it easier to climb inside.

According to CarScoops, Sany has worked with a battery manufacturer, CATL, on other projects already. As a result, there’s a good possibility the new electric truck will feature CATL batteries. According to the CATL website, its passenger vehicle batteries are top of the line. CATL says its batteries can drive 1,000 km before stopping, then charge 80% in just five minutes. That doesn’t mean those numbers will directly transfer to the Sany Group truck, but it’s a rough idea of what they’re working with.

Who is Sany, the battery-electric truck company?

Does this Chinese company you’ve never heard of have the capital to create and sell an electric truck? CarScoops says Sany Heavy Industry Co was founded in 1994. Moreover, its headquarters is located in Beijing, China, and has a market cap of $41.2 billion. With over 24,000 employees as of May 2021, we would say Sany has the resources to create and sell a new electric truck.

According to the company’s website, Sany Heavy Industry is China’s largest and the world’s fifth-largest engineering machinery manufacturer. It is “determined to become the leader and pioneer of technology in the open-pit mining machinery industry.” Additionally, Sany America Inc. is a U.S.-based subsidiary that focuses on research and development, production, sales, and servicing heavy industrial equipment.

Chinese crane and excavator maker makes an electric truck

In conclusion, one of the world’s leading industrial equipment makers is working on an electric pickup. We don’t know much about the truck yet, other than how it looks. Its overall design uses a similar style to the Tesla Cybertruck in that it’s oddly shaped to stand out from other models. However, its base design maintains the classic pickup truck look. Sany Group isn’t the first inexperienced company to take a shot at EVs, and we doubt it will be the last. We look forward to hearing more about the new Chinese battery-electric truck from the crane and excavator maker.