China stands to gain a significant advantage over Europe in another key area

European truck manufacturers say the EU will fall behind China in the field of electric trucks if Brussels does not speed up regulation and infrastructure development.

Industry representatives say that the technology and the will are there, but delays in investment, licensing processes, and political decisions are giving Chinese manufacturers an increasing advantage.

The EU aims to reduce truck emissions by 45% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels and to effectively ban new diesel models by 2040. To achieve this, the proportion of electric trucks would need to increase to 38% by 2030, whereas in the first half of this year, they accounted for only 3.6% of new registrations.

In China, on the other hand, the share jumped from 4% to 24% in two years, and by 2028, up to half of new sales could be electric.

According to manufacturers and energy companies, the biggest obstacle is the lack of infrastructure: charging networks, the capacity of the electricity grid, and the slowness of approvals. Although the committee has already set up a special working group, the industry will once again call for immediate action in Brussels on Wednesday. Participants will include truck manufacturers, energy suppliers, and major customers such as Amazon.

Companies warn that

if progress is not made quickly, cheaper Chinese trucks could flood the European market.

Although large orders are also being placed in the EU, such as Amazon's 200-vehicle Daimler fleet, further investments require economic returns, a unified policy, and faster approvals.

Cover photo (for illustration purposes only): Getty Images