Electric truck of Chinese manufacturer Windrose receives European approval
Chinese electric truck manufacturer Windrose, with European headquarters in the Flemish municipality of Zele, has obtained all the necessary certificates to allow its vehicles to be driven on public roads in Europe. CEO Wen Han also expects the final concession agreement for his planned assembly plant in Antwerp to be signed this year.
The official approval of the vehicles, confirming that they meet the technical and legal requirements within the European Union, has been completed. “While over the past 44 months, I have often been told that we would never be homologated given our unique design,” stated CEO Han.
“Many experts said we didn't understand how to build an electric truck,” the CEO continued. "Our model is not the perfect truck for everyone, but for long-distance transport (up to 670 km, ed.) with heavy loads, it is currently the best option in our price category (250,000 euros, ed.).”
For a Belgian test drive, Windrose, which also sponsors the Antwerp Giants basketball club, would collaborate with the Flemish transport company Gilbert De Clercq. It is expected that a test drive can be carried out around the Christmas period.
Since last year, Windrose's European headquarters have been located in Zele in Flanders. In the future, parts from China could be assembled in a factory in Antwerp. Han is aiming to open that factory in 2026.
At the end of 2024, it however became apparent that the Flemish investment company PMV was not interested in investing in the planned factory in Antwerp. PMV had analysed the figures and decided against it. The employers' organisation Voka then stated that it was good that the Flemish government had done its homework. A little later, the federal investment company SFPIM also decided against investing in the e-trucks.
Han later told Gazet Van Antwerpen that he had already raised around 350 million dollars from other investors and banks. In France, the CEO is aiming for a fully-fledged new production site in Onnaing.
#FlandersNewsService | Test drive of a Windrose truck in Denmark © PHOTO Windrose Technology/Handout via Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM
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