The truck manufacturers insist they’re doing their part. „The product is here“, claims Alexander Vlaskamp. Then, together with Manfred Weber, leader of the European People’s Party in the EU Parliament, the MAN CEO presses the red button. It’s the start signal for the series production of heavy electric trucks at MAN’s Munich plant. Behind them stands a brand-new, gleaming, battery-electric semi-truck painted in pale „Arctic Blue.“

Yet despite the launch, the electric truck business pales in comparison to diesel. It remains modest – in fact, very modest. In the first three months of this year, Traton received orders for just 466 electric units. Compared to total orders of nearly 59,000 trucks, that’s less than 1%.

The share of actual deliveries is even smaller: only 259 fully electric trucks were sold. Still, for Volkswagen’s commercial vehicle holding company, that’s double the number compared to the same period last year. MAN is one of Traton’s four brands. Other manufacturers like Daimler Truck and Volvo aren’t faring any better: Electric trucks are far behind.

According to the industry, the main reason is clear: the lack of charging infrastructure. Calls for political action are growing louder. MAN CEO Vlaskamp used Weber’s appearance at the production launch – which was attended by employees and journalists – to make a pointed appeal: „We need a massive expansion of infrastructure across Europe by 2030", he said.

“When it comes to investment in charging stations, Europe is lagging far behind, Vlaskamp notes. What’s needed now is the political will to reverse this trend. From his perspective, the investment would be money well spent – after all, environmentally friendly transport benefits all European citizens. „We need to act quickly“, he says, directing his comments at Weber.

Weber, a native of Lower Bavaria who also serves as deputy chairman of the CSU and was visibly at ease during the Munich event, responds with standard political language: „This is a step towards a sustainable future for logistics and transport", he stated. Charging infrastructure is a top priority for European policy. „We need a European flagship project.“

Pressed for specifics, Weber mentions the EU’s financial planning. In the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for the seven years after 2027, less money should be distributed with a watering-can approach, he argues. Instead, spending should be focused on clear priorities and flagship projects. This will apparently include the charging network for electric vehicles. The passenger car industry is also calling for faster expansion. „The investment programmes are in place“, adds Weber. „What’s needed now is certainty and stability.“ The European Commission is expected to present its MFF proposal in the coming weeks.

One major factor for the success of electric trucks remains their economic viability. It is true that compared to diesel models, the MAN e-TGX semi costs roughly three times as much. But Vlaskamp’s calculation is the following: with electricity costing only about one-third of diesel fuel, the higher purchase price pays off after three to four years. The exact point of break-even depends on available government subsidies and electricity prices in each country. For customers such as haulage companies – who operate on razor-thin margins – what matters most is the total cost of ownership (TCO). That includes the purchase price and all operating costs over the vehicle’s lifetime, such as maintenance, tolls, insurance, and taxes.

MAN is investing around 1 billion euros this decade to transform its European production sites for electric truck manufacturing. A quarter of that has gone into Nuremberg, where production of high-voltage batteries began in April. Now, series production of the E-truck has started in Munich, MAN’s main site for heavy-duty vehicles. Both diesel and battery-electric models are built on the same line.

The production system is highly flexible. Regardless of the powertrain, vehicles are assembled strictly in order of incoming orders – a principle known in the industry as „build to order“. „We’re 100 percent flexible and can fully optimise production capacity“, says Peter Demmel, head of assembly, during a tour of the plant. He explains that 95% of the production equipment is used for both variants. „That saves both space and costs“, the engineer notes. And the workforce required minimal retraining. „All in all, very efficient“, adds Demmel.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks, a Daimler Truck brand, also produces diesel and electric trucks on the same assembly line. Series production of its heavy-duty E-Actros 600 began in November 2024. Ramp-up is complete, according to a Daimler Truck spokesperson. Like MAN, Mercedes-Benz Trucks builds its vehicles with a build to order approach, at its largest assembly plant, in Wörth. „It allows us to adjust quickly to market demand“, the spokesperson says.

Full production flexibility is an advantage – but demand still needs to pick up. MAN CEO Vlaskamp remains confident that this will happen over the next few years. He points out that MAN only started selling electric city buses in 2020. „Today, they account for 70% of our orders in Europe“, he says.
That success is also due to political will at the municipal level and a commitment to achieving environmental goals. Plus, city buses can conveniently charge overnight at depots.

Unlike with trucks, Chinese manufacturers have gained visible market share in Europe with their electric buses – especially in the UK and Eastern Europe. BYD and Yutong together hold an estimated 15–25% market share in Europe’s electric bus segment. Industry voices complain that this success is driven by aggressive pricing strategies. Another point of criticism: Chinese manufacturers aren’t required to generate local value creation in Europe.