An all-electric pickup truck operated by the Central Mechanical Equipment Department (CMED) has emerged as one of the standout attractions at the 2026 Mine Entra exhibition in Bulawayo, drawing steady crowds of curious visitors throughout the three-day event.
The vehicle, a Riddara RD6, is a fully electric pickup produced under Geely’s Riddara new-energy vehicle brand. Marketed globally as one of the first fully electric pickups built on a dedicated electric platform, the RD6 combines a rugged, traditional pickup design with a battery-electric drivetrain, dual motors for four-wheel drive, and a claimed range exceeding 400 kilometres on a full charge. For an industry still largely built around diesel-powered fleets, the sight of a zero-emission pickup with genuine off-road and towing capability has proven a natural draw for engineers, procurement officers, and mining executives touring the show floor.
Mine Entra 2026, running from July 29 to 31 at the Zimbabwe International Conference and Exhibition Smart City (ZICES) in Bulawayo, brings together companies from across the mining, engineering, and transport sectors to showcase equipment, technology, and services relevant to Zimbabwe’s resource and industrial base. This year’s edition has been billed as one of the largest in the expo’s history, with organisers reporting a record number of exhibitors.
CMED’s decision to showcase the Riddara RD6 reflects the department’s broader push into electric mobility. The state-run vehicle fleet manager has already introduced dozens of electric vehicles into its operations, including a batch of electric buses that recently underwent trial runs, complementing electric vehicles already active in its fleet. CMED officials have linked this shift to Zimbabwe’s push to reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels while leveraging the country’s lithium reserves, a key raw material in EV battery production, as part of a broader clean-energy transport strategy.
For the mining sector specifically, the appeal of an electric pickup goes beyond novelty. Mining operations are often significant fuel consumers, and interest is growing in electrified support vehicles that can reduce operating costs, cut emissions on-site, and align with increasingly stringent environmental expectations from investors and regulators. Exhibiting the RD6 alongside other mining and engineering equipment allowed CMED to position electric vehicle adoption as a practical, near-term option rather than a distant ambition.
As Zimbabwe continues to expand its involvement in the electric vehicle value chain, from raw lithium production to piloting electric fleets, showcases like the Riddara RD6 at Mine Entra offer a tangible glimpse of how that transition might look in everyday, heavy-duty use across the country’s industrial sectors.