You must start from China, there is no other choice

In the view of Han Wen, founder of Weidu Technology, the "time for disruption" in the electric truck industry is ripe. He said that China's existing electric vehicle ecosystem is a huge advantage, and Weidu Technology is using a factory of a domestic electric bus company to produce electric cards. We are fortunate to have China's (electric vehicle) supply chain, "Han Han said." Without a doubt, China will also have an advantage in the electrification of heavy trucks

In this context, Agence France Presse mentioned that Chinese electric trucks are facing "more unpredictable" geopolitical risks. This year, both the European Union and the United States have proposed imposing high tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, claiming that the subsidies received by Chinese car companies have harmed European and American car companies. The report states that although China has refuted these allegations, the risk of other countries taking similar actions increases as China's electric truck footprint expands globally.

US President elect Trump, who will take office in January next year, has promised to impose huge tariffs on all Chinese imports once he takes office. Regarding this, Dai Jiahui pointed out that due to the lower sales of electric trucks compared to passenger electric vehicles, the export of Chinese electric trucks may be overlooked during "normal times". However, it is now clear that "it is no longer a 'normal period', and anything related to China is currently being closely monitored by the US government".

Some companies have already taken measures to reduce this risk. BYD emphasized that its electric bus assembly plant in Lancaster, California employs local union workers. BYD, which currently has factories in Hungary and Romania, has also announced plans to build a factory in Mexico. Hanwen also stated that Weidu Technology had relocated to its research and development center in Belgium earlier this year and consciously conducted business in multiple countries.

Every major market hopes to have its own domestic electric vehicle supply chain, and we have indeed accepted this fact, "Han Han said. But he believes that China still has irreplaceable advantages in technology, production capacity, and cost control in the field of electric vehicles, and even if the ultimate goal is global production, it still needs to rely on China's industrial foundation initially.

You must start from China. Then we will work hard to expand the supply chain globally... but you must start from China, there is no other choice, "Han Han said.

Market analysis is optimistic about the development prospects of the electric truck industry. According to PwC's forecast, by 2030, the cumulative global investment in the electric vehicle value chain will reach $1.1 trillion, and approximately one-fifth of heavy-duty trucks will be powered entirely by electric vehicles. Former CEO of Daimler Trucks, Martin Daum, has stated that the gap between electric and diesel trucks is already very small in terms of purchase price and operating costs.

Deutsche Presse-Agentur pointed out in its previous analysis that in recent years, European environmental protection standards have been continuously improved, and reducing exhaust emissions has become a challenge that all major transport companies cannot escape, which also provides opportunities for Chinese electric card enterprises to enter the European market. According to a research report submitted by Boston Consulting Group, Chinese electric truck and bus manufacturers are expected to occupy 11% of the European market in the future.

At the Hanover International Transport Expo in September this year, nearly 30% of Chinese exhibitors were also praised by German media for their "impressive" performance. "There is a quite obvious trend at this auto show: almost all exhibitors have launched electric trucks and transport vehicles, and the huge lineup of Chinese auto companies is particularly eye-catching." Deutsche Presse-Agentur wrote at the time, "It can be seen that in the future, commercial vehicles produced in China will also become regular customers in Germany's major charging facilities."

Besides Europe, Chinese car companies have also recently won large orders in other overseas markets. Earlier this year, PSA International Holdings' (PSA) joint venture, Saudi Global Ports (SGP), reached an agreement with China's Sany Group to purchase 80 electric trucks to enhance the sustainability of Saudi ports and promote their green operations,

It is reported that the agreement is part of a commercial concession contract signed between the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) and SGP, with a total investment of up to 7 billion Saudi riyals (approximately 1.87 billion US dollars). The Saudi Ports Authority stated that this is currently the largest single electric container truck order in the world.