30% of heavy trucks sold in China are already electric, in Europe only 4%

China has been dominating with an iron fist for years the electric car race. Now it is opening a second front: heavy trucks. Just like they count Since Semafor, in 2025, almost three out of every ten heavy trucks sold in the country were electric or new energy. In Europe, the figure does not reach 5%. And the most striking thing is not the difference, but the speed at which that gap is closing. An unprecedented leap in a very short time. In 2021, new energy trucks barely accounted for 0.7% of heavy vehicle sales in China. In 2024, they were already 12.9%. Just like share the average, in 2025, almost 30%. That pace of adoption, according to Zhao Pei, a postdoctoral researcher at MIT, “leaves the rest of the world in the dust.” In Europe the figure remains around 4%, and in California, which is supposed to be the region of the United States where there is the greatest adoption of electric trucks, annual sales are counted in hundreds of units, according to the analysis firm Rystad Energy. lTrucks are more difficult to electrify. Heavy vehicles are the backbone of any country’s domestic trade, but electrifying them is much more complex than doing the same with a car. Their energy needs are enormous and the size of the batteries can reduce the charging capacity. Furthermore, there is still a lot of distrust of technology in the freight transportation sector. “They are a completely different game from passenger cars when it comes to electrification,” counted Mao Shiyue, researcher at the International Council on Clean Transportation. Politics and prices as catalysts. Since 2020, China’s central government forced factories in key sectors (steel, cement, energy) to incorporate a percentage of new energy trucks or face production restrictions on days of high pollution. Added to this were very generous subsidies to replace diesel trucks with electric ones. The result: a huge domestic market, highly integrated supply chains and fierce internal competition that has accelerated innovation. Today, the cost per kilometer of an electric truck in China is approximately one-third that of its diesel equivalent, they shared from the middle. Although the purchase price is double, the difference is amortized in about two years. The infrastructure that makes it possible. China has also deployed an entire network for its electric trucks to operate. To achieve this, they have been working for some time on what they call their “green corridors”, specific charging networks for heavy vehicles along highways. One of the largest, built by Qiyuan Green Power, connects Tianjin port with the Gansu industrial region across 2,200 kilometers and 27 stations. For its part, CATL, the world’s largest battery manufacturer for electric vehicles, it has developed a battery exchange technology that allows a dead battery to be replaced with a charged one in just five minutes, and already has more than 300 operational stations in the country. The weak point: long distance. Not everything is resolved. Trucks operating short, fixed routes have led the transition, but long-distance trucks, which can travel up to 1,000 kilometers a day, remain a challenge. The autonomy and capacity of current batteries are not always sufficient for these routes. And just as share From Semafor, a typical 49-ton heavy truck can travel between 200 and 300 kilometers on a load, enough to operate in ports and urban areas, but far from what long-distance interregional routes need. Now they arrive in Europe, and cheaper. More than half a dozen Chinese manufacturers plan to enter the European heavy truck market in 2026. According to account Reuters, among them stand out BYD, Farizon (Geely), Sany (which is currently the best-selling electric truck brand in China), Sinotruk and the startups Windrose and SuperPanther. The middle share that newly arrived manufacturers plan to set prices up to 30% below the European average, which is around 320,000 euros. Even so, that triples the cost of a conventional diesel truck, whose average in the EU is around 100,000 euros. Unstoppable speed. Phil Dunne, of the consultancy Grant Thornton Stax, counted Reuters that the European sector takes on average seven years to complete a development cycle for a new truck. Windrose, a startup founded in 2022, took three years to develop its Global E700 model, obtain approval to sell it in China, Europe and the United States, and prepare it to enter production. Its price in Europe will be 250,000 euros. “The speed at which the Chinese have come up with good products has surprised everyone,” Dunne said. Code red. Volvo, Daimler Trucks, Iveco, MAN and Scania dominate the European market and have the advantage of built-up trust among their customers. But they are aware of the risk. Volvo Group CEO Martin Lundstedt described Chinese manufacturers as “fast, innovative, determined and committed”. In parallel, associations such as ACEA and E-Mobility Europe they press the European Commission to accelerate support measures with lower tolls for electric trucks, fleet electrification mandates and subsidies tied to European production. What is at stake. China is the world’s largest importer of fossil fuels, has the most extensive road network on the planet and road transport represents almost three quarters of its volume total merchandise. If the electrification of its trucks advances at the planned pace, Rystad Energy calculate that China’s demand for diesel could fall by 20% from current levels before 2030. “We have one or two years to get ahead of ourselves. Or the Chinese will eat our toast,” counted Chris Heron, Secretary General of E-Mobility Europe. Cover image | aboodi vesakaran and Sany Group In Xataka | China has been boasting about its driverless robotaxis for years. Until more than 100 have stood at once in Wuhan

This is heavy machinery remote control technology

Each morning Monica Kyrö starts her work as millions of people, in an office. In his position, yes, there is something strange. His own company shows it In an image of the employee. And it is not unusual only for the two huge curved monitors, but for the Two joysticks That Monica begins to handle quickly by getting to the homework. But it is that this employee of the Swedish company Lkab It has a very peculiar job. Monica is mining. But a different mining company. He works as a remote operator of heavy mining machines, but does not conduct them or operates in the conventional sense of the word. Instead, control these machines remotely since its advanced job. It is an example of an interesting transformation in several industries. Miners who do not need to go down to the mine These types of systems have gradually conquer some industrial scenarios, and Mining It is certainly very appropriate. This dangerous profession He has adapted to the new times, and “going down to the mine” is no longer rigorously true. With these machines remotely controlled by human operators, the work of these miners is not only more comfortable: it is infinitely safer. There are various companies specialized in this area. Immersive Technologiesone of them shows how his simulation solutions Avoid risks to workers in real scenarios – such as mining exploitations – in which the risks are high. But that does not prevent other problems from arising. By removing the operator from that seat on the heavy machine itself, there may be problems by not having the range of vision that one would have in that cabin and also not completely perceive its environment – for example that another employee that does not initially appear on video suddenly appears in that area – and the possible impact of using those machines at a point and in a certain way in each moment. The impact on the work is for now an inconite, but a priori it does not seem that the role of the traditional operator of these machines is in danger. In fact, what was precisely demand for new professionalswhich can now be more interested thanks to that change in the paradigm and much greater security and comfort in these jobs. Remote control trucks and robots Heavy machinery is gradually becoming autonomous and robotic heavy machinery, they explained On robotics. In Spain companies like Epiroc either Sandfire Matsa They have this type of solutions in the field of mining, but there are other areas in which heavy machinery remote control is a perfect option. It is for example the case of the control of machines in commercial ports such as Guangzhou, in China. Months ago a video appeared on social networks in which remote operators of this port worked from the offices controlling trucks and cranes to move those containers and moving them from one place to another. Everything without human personnel near those containers and large machines, something that once again avoids important risks and that allows these operators to do everything from a much more comfortable and safe environment. Certainly it seems that they were playing a simulation video game, but no. The video is hypnotic. These solutions have been in operation for years, although they do so in very specific environments due to the complexity of these works. Husqvarna, Swedish manufacturer of construction machines, was one of the firms that participated after the catastrophe of the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Over there your remote control robots They helped in the controlled demolition tasks of the central. Companies like the Norway Steer They are specialized in this type of solutions for dangerous scenarios such as underground operations, work with explosives, or scenarios in which there is a risk of radioactivity or others such as avalanches and detachments. To the remote control options that require a human operator, the new autonomous vehicles for industrial applications are added. Here is a clear example in the field of agriculture. Autonomous tractors are already a realityof course, but these types of vehicles are also being used more and more in other fields. Mining is another reference: Caterpillar – of the protagonist in these markets – has autonomous trucks that already operate in that industry and that make use of “see” their environment, as well as in some robotaxis Like the Waymo. These autonomous vehicles are notwithstanding challenges to overcome: as in the case of self -employed cars, technology remains difficult to perfectespecially before the diversity of scenarios in which these solutions try to apply. That joysticks is of the last generation, but it is not to play This heavy machinery remote control segment has also caused the creation of (at least) a small segment totally associated with these systems: there are companies such as Comtium either JR Merritt specialized in calls industrial joysticks. These models are applicable to all types of heavy machinery and offer different designs and buttons according to the field in which they are used. There are even models with controlled precision systems with the thumb and even Control chairs For operators with everything necessary for this type of applications. This type of specialized peripherals can resemble traditional video game joysticks, but in reality they are quite different. To begin with, they must meet some requirements for very high durabilityand resist vibrations, extreme temperatures, dust, moisture and especially intensive use. That causes stainless steel axes and other equally resistant elements to be used. In the case of precision components that are usually translated for example in Minijísticks for the thumbswhich can have different configurations and shapes to adjust to specific heavy machines. Some of them have the Hall Effect technology that lately it has become popular in keyboards and that is especially useful in these areas. This type of joysticks use magnetic sensors to determine the position of the lever without physical contact between mobile parts and sensors. This makes the possible effects of a wear of the … Read more

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