Chinese HGV manufacturer SANY is promising payback times as short as 2.5 years for its new battery-electric truck entering the European market in 2026: roughly half the time of equivalent diesel vehicles. Part of the SANY Group, best known for its construction machinery, the company has already put more than 40,000 heavy-duty electric trucks into operation in China and now plans to expand into Europe.
“For our SANY electric semi-trailer truck, the payback can be expected after about 2 to 2.5 years in long-haul or high-utilisation scenarios, especially due to significant savings in road tolls and fuel,” said Kevin M. Eichele, Head of Product & Business Development at SANY eTrucks Europe, to Freight Carbon Zero.
By contrast, a typical diesel tractor in Germany takes around five to six years to pay back its initial investment, he added. For more moderate use cases, the e263’s payback period extends to about 3.5 years.
SANY’s strategy centres on competing through total cost of ownership, with a lower purchase price than established OEMs forming the main lever for faster returns.
“Our focus will be on applications where we can create financial value for our customers from day one by offering the best TCO across Europe,” Eichele explained. The company is already in discussions with major carriers, logistics providers and operators in the construction and building materials sectors.
The e263 4x2 semi-trailer truck is fitted with a 636kWh LFP battery on an 800V platform, delivering a claimed range of more than 500km at 42 tonnes GCW. The truck will launch with 400kW CCS fast charging (Combined Charging System), with megawatt charging to be introduced later.
Charging support will be tailored to customer requirements, ranging from individual equipment to comprehensive infrastructure solutions through partners.
Service will be provided through Europe’s 700-plus Alltrucks workshops, with spare parts distribution managed from Germany by Putzmeister. Full-service contracts, spanning six to eight years, will include battery coverage and software updates, while uptime commitments will be negotiated individually with each customer. Financing and leasing options will be available from launch, with rental, pay-per-use and battery-as-a-service models under consideration for later introduction.
Deliveries of the e263 semi-trailer variant will begin in early 2026, followed by rigid variants later in the year.
