The automated charging station in Ordos is just one of 20 that the Ordos Lyudong Coal Transportation and Marketing Company plans to build this year in the cluster, according to Zhang Feng, the company's president. It also plans a fleet of 1,000 heavy-duty electric trucks.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, Ordos Lyudong will extend its intelligent station network to Wuhai, another major coal-producing area in Inner Mongolia, Zhang said, with a further 120 stations to be built and an additional 10,000 heavy-duty electric trucks put into service.

"For every 10,000 heavy-duty electric trucks, carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by over 1 million tons if each runs for 100,000 km a year," said Xin Ran, the company's vice-general manager. "They will also help reduce the emissions of particulates and carbon monoxide."