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Windrose Eyes 621-Mile Class 8 Electric Truck Range by 2030
Startup OEM Wins 20 More Orders as First US Delivery Beats Schedule
Key Takeaways:
- Windrose expects its R700 electric tractor to exceed 1,000 kilometers of range by 2030 through larger battery packs and charging advances.
- U.S. deliveries began April 1, with more than 100 committed orders scheduled for delivery within six months.
- Production is underway in China, with European manufacturing and assembly plants also under development.
Windrose Technology expects by 2030 to be producing battery-electric trucks with a range of more than 621 miles, about 1½ times the range of the startup Class 8 tractor manufacturer’s biggest current rig.
The R700 tractor is available in two configurations: a short-range tractor with a 436-kilowatt-hour battery pack capable of 200-250 miles, and a long-range semi with a 730-kWh battery pack capable of 400-450 miles.
Generation 2 R700s are spec’d with a 670 km- or 416-mile range, but Generation 3 models will have a range of 805 km or 507 miles in 2028, and Generation 4 models will be capable of exceeding 1,000 km or 621 miles in 2030, Windrose said in an April 6 social media post.
The increase in range will be the result of the truck’s battery size jumping to 811 kWh for Generation 3 models and more than 960 kWh for Generation 4 models, the .
In addition, Windrose expects charging capabilities to have expanded beyond the Megawatt Charging System (MCS) by the time Generation 4 models are released, the road map showed.
MCS has yet to see widespread deployment for battery-electric trucks but will be one of the foundations of the range and refueling credentials of Windrose’s fellow disruptor Tesla’s long-awaited entry into the Class 8 market: its Semi tractor.
Further R700 features to be added include an oil-cooled motor for Generation 3 trucks rather than a water-cooled motor as is currently standard plus a dual-door cab and proprietary suspension and electric power steering in Generation 4 models.
Windrose founder and CEO Wen Han in an April 5 LinkedIn post noted: “More details to come later, but I wanted to share that we’re working on our own steering-by-wire system, which will be the foundation for truly autonomous driving.”
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Windrose CEO Wen Han (LinkedIn)
Generation 4 models also could also see the introduction of autonomous trucks, the road map showed.
The first U.S. deliveries of the truck maker’s Class 8 tractor began April 1, Han said in a separate LinkedIn post.
And an April 5 Windrose social media post revealed the company had committed orders for more than 100 trucks that are scheduled to be delivered in the next six months.
Some 20 of the 100-plus orders are from U.S. customers, Han told Transport Topics on April 7.
Production began in April at a manufacturing plant in Hubei Province run by Windrose cab maker Zhenghe. The Windrose stamping die and welding line at the facility is capable of producing up to 5,000 cabs a year, according to the company.
Alongside its Chinese production, the company is building a manufacturing plant in Valenciennes in northeastern France plus an assembly plant at the port of Antwerp in Belgium. Windrose eventually could have assembly plants on each of the major truck-buying continents as well as in Australia, with each producing the same truck.
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Initially though, Windrose will import fully built tractors for U.S. customers. The pivot to shipping came after Han said a little less than 12 months ago that the truck maker was looking to build at least one assembly plant in the U.S., promising a 2025 decision on the location.
Windrose’s short-range R700 configuration is available for around $270,000 while its long-range sibling costs $290,000, Xos Trucks CEO Dakota Semler told TT in March, adding that such entry-level pricing makes the R700 competitive with existing tractors, including the Tesla Semi.
Xos is the U.S. importer, dealer and aftermarket care provider for the R700.
Trucks were previously deployed with Chandler, Ariz.-based regional carrier JoyRide Logistics. JoyRide took part in the North American Council for Freight Efficiency’s in September with an R700.
