Scania is betting everything on one thing – namely electric trucks. Diesel cars will be gone by 2040. But no one is buying the electric alternatives.
Scania's order book is practically empty. At least when it comes to electric trucks.
The brand is otherwise betting everything on being completely free of new diesel-powered trucks by 2040 at the latest. But last year, only 266 fully electric trucks were sold from the factory in Södertälje.
This is written by the local newspaper Länstidningen, LT .
2024 was the year in which the German-owned company managed to sell over 100,000 vehicles. But very few of them are electric.
– That's probably the only thing you can be dissatisfied with, says Christian Levin to LT after an account showing that the Swedes are making a profit of 20.4 billion Danish kroner.
The market for electric trucks is not there, says Scania director
However, Christian Levin is also quick to blame the lack of electric trucks on everyone other than Scania itself.
– What is missing, and which is partly beyond our control, is that the switch to electric cars actually happens. We have continued to have disruptions in the supply chain for electric cars.
– But we see that competitors are also having difficulty getting volume. That is to say: The market is far too small, Christian Levin tells LT.
Of the 102,069 vehicles Scania delivered last year, only 266 were electric cars. That's a total of 0.26 percent of total sales.
– It's terribly bad, says Christian Levin about the numbers, to LT.
And Scania is busy. At least if they are to meet their own goals. As early as 2030 – in less than 5 years – 50 percent of all the brand's new trucks will run solely on electricity.
However, the director has not started to worry. At least not yet. Not even though it is far from certain that he can deliver sales that meet expectations.
– I'm not really worried – it will happen, it has to happen. There is still no better technology to remove carbon dioxide from heavy transport. It will be battery-electric vehicles. But it takes too long. That's the problem, he tells LT.
Christian Levin believes that Scania could easily have delivered more electric cars if the demand had been there.
But according to him, many customers will not buy electric trucks because it is still cheaper to run on diesel.
– That's the most important piece of the puzzle to get in place, he tells LT.
The diesel engine is not completely out in the cold either. In fact, the transport giant DHL will now be driving electric trucks that are charged with diesel. Read more about it here .
