MAN Trucks Chief Executive Alexander Vlaskamp said electric semi trucks can achieve cost parity with diesel models in less than three years, supported by European subsidies and higher fuel prices, though limited charging infrastructure remains a major barrier.
MAN, a unit of Volkswagen’s Traton Group, began series production of its eTruck electric semi in July on a flexible assembly line capable of building up to 100 trucks per day with either diesel or battery-electric drivetrains. The company said it has secured 700 orders to date and expects to reach 1,000 by year-end.
“Incentives, combined with Europe’s higher diesel prices, mean that the eTruck can pay for itself in as little as two and a half years,” Vlaskamp told German business daily Börsen-Zeitung. EU support programs include subsidies covering up to 80% of purchase prices in Austria, 32% in Belgium, and up to 60% of cost differences with diesel trucks in Ireland and Norway.
Still, MAN’s chief said infrastructure remains the biggest hurdle. “It’s all about the charging infrastructure, that’s the problem,” he said, according to Börsen-Zeitung. “When it comes to investment in charging stations, Europe is lagging far behind … what’s needed now is the political will to reverse this trend. We need to act quickly.”
Spanish automotive outlet Motorpasión noted that bureaucratic delays are not the only factor holding back charging expansion, with investment also trailing. Vlaskamp has proposed diverting half of annual toll revenues from commercial trucks – about €7 billion in Germany – to finance new fast-charging networks.
He also argued that electricity costs must fall for widespread adoption, saying the current average of €0.45 to €0.50 per kilowatt-hour should be reduced to “between €0.20 and €0.30/kWh,” according to Börsen-Zeitung.