A couple of years ago, e-truck expert Rustam Kocher told Charged that the Tesla Semi was “a great product,” but that the company might struggle to compete against more established OEMs. Since then, the EV market in the US has changed radically—the Tesla Semi is moving into volume production, and Chinese upstart Windrose has started delivering electric Class 8 tractors in the US. Now it’s the legacy brands that are looking like the underdogs.
Coincidentally or not, legacy truck-makers seem to be increasing their efforts to slow the transition to EVs. Even as Volvo and Daimler announce new electric truck models, the companies continue lobbying to weaken emissions standards in the US and Europe, and investing money in hydrogen fuel cells.
In a recent Forbes article, former EPA exec Margo Oge argues that Europe’s largest truck manufacturers would rather litigate than compete with Tesla and the Chinese brands in the US market. Daimler Truck, Volvo Group and Traton filed a motion through the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association to defend the Trump EPA’s repeal of the 2009 endangerment finding and the repeal of all motor vehicle climate standards. This stands in stark contrast to public statements that all three companies have made, asserting their commitment to electrification and emissions reduction.
“You cannot publicly claim climate leadership while supporting efforts to dismantle the policies designed to drive the transition to cleaner trucks,” Ms. Oge writes. “In China, roughly 25% of new truck sales are already electric and it is exporting aggressively. The transition is happening with or without Washington. The only question is whether legacy truck manufacturers compete or are left behind.”
Source: Forbes
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