The Chinese competitors are establishing electric truck production in Europe within just a few years, primarily in Hungary, as revealed by a study from the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI) published on Tuesday by IG Metall. Service offerings crucial for freight operators are also being created—for example, through a partnership with the multi-brand workshop network Alltrucks, a joint venture of German companies Bosch and Knorr-Bremse.
IG Metall Baden-Wuerttemberg and works councils from Daimler Truck and Iveco Magirus view this development with great concern, warning of the loss of orders and jobs among suppliers and manufacturers. "We must not let what happened in the passenger car sector happen in the truck sector," declared Barbara Resch, head of IG Metall in Baden-Wuerttemberg, calling for political action to ensure fair competition.
"If our industry is to remain competitive in electromobility, we need a Europe-wide strategic industrial plan that promotes the development and production of battery cells and minimizes the risk for companies," said Michael Brecht, head of the Daimler Truck works council. Manufacturers must invest, and EU funding should flow not only to Eastern Europe but also to existing, threatened industrial regions. "We cannot win the cost competition, so we must have the better vehicles," Brecht added. Daimler Truck stated that it is monitoring all competitors, including the Chinese. "We take every competitor seriously," Daimler added.
Chinese competition has been establishing itself in Europe for ten years, whereas, for example, it took three times as long in South Africa, explained study author Christian Lerch. "The threat is therefore significant and grows with each passing day." According to the researchers, Chinese commercial vehicle manufacturers are catching up technologically. They benefit from economies of scale and subsidies in their home Chinese market and have an advantage with the latest battery technologies. The scientists advise manufacturers to jointly develop and produce batteries to become independent from Chinese suppliers and to advance through innovation. In the service sector, truck manufacturers could retain customers through new business models with digital platforms.
(Report by Ilona Wissenbach, edited by Ralf Banser. For inquiries, please contact the editorial management at frankfurt.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com)
