Traton Adding to Electrification Investments

March 16, 2022

The global truck maker will spend nearly $3 billion by the end of 2026 on new drivetrain technology.

Global truck manufacturer Traton SE has added more than $1 billion to its investment plans in electric mobility research and development.

Munich-headquartered Traton, which last year acquired Navistar and also owns the Scania and Man brands among others, now plans to put to work €2.6 billion (about $2.9 billion at current exchange rates) between now and 2026 on developing and refining alternative drivetrains. That’s up from the €1.6 billion it had previously looked to invest by the end of 2025 and some of those additional funds will be taken from the company’s work on conventional drives.

“These drives are clearly the greenest, fastest, and most affordable solution for our customers, even for long-haul transportation, although hydrogen may prove to be a useful addition in certain niches,” CEO Christian Levin said in a statement. “Since trucks are charged primarily during peaks in supply and troughs in demand, even the power load on the grid is moderate.”

Levin and his team are looking to have half of the trucks they sell be zero-emission by 2030. For more on their outlook and Traton’s fourth-quarter results, visit our sister brand FleetOwner.

About the Author

Geert De Lombaerde | Senior Editor

A native of Belgium, Geert De Lombaerde has been in business journalism since the mid-1990s and writes about public companies, markets and economic trends for Endeavor Business Media publications, focusing on IndustryWeek, FleetOwner, Oil & Gas Journal, T&D World and Healthcare Innovation. He also curates the twice-monthly Market Moves Strategy newsletter that showcases Endeavor stories on strategy, leadership and investment and contributes to other Market Moves newsletters.

With a degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, he began his reporting career at the Business Courier in Cincinnati in 1997, initially covering retail and the courts before shifting to banking, insurance and investing. He later was managing editor and editor of the Nashville Business Journal before being named editor of the Nashville Post in early 2008. He led a team that helped grow the Post's online traffic more than fivefold before joining Endeavor in September 2021.