Charged EVs | Steyr to assemble Chinese SuperPanther electric semi-trucks in Europe
A new Chinese electric truck brand is stalking the European market. Electrive reports (in German) that startup SuperPanther plans to start selling electric semi-trucks in Europe this year.
SuperPanther will rely on a contract manufacturing arrangement with Steyr Automotive in Austria for European production, Frank Schulz, SuperPanther’s Europe sales chief, told Electrive. Series production is scheduled to start this summer, and the company plans to deliver 100 to 200 customer vehicles in Europe by the end of 2026.
Four-year-old SuperPanther is based in Xiamen, China, and already has “several hundred electric trucks” on the streets in the People’s Republic. Europe will be its first export region.
SuperPanther doesn’t want to be seen as the stereotypical Chinese manufacturer, flooding the local market with cheap goods, Schulz told Electrive. “We do not intend to [offer] price breakers—we want to convince with performance, added value and TCO.” SuperPanther plans to provide comprehensive service to its European customers, including charging solutions (in-house or through partners) and repair and maintenance through a cooperation with brand-independent provider Alltrucks.
SuperPanther’s eTopas 600 is built on a BEV-only platform. It’s a 4×2 tractor unit with an empty weight of 10.8 tons and permissible total weight of 42 tons.
The battery technology comes from CATL, and is much the same as that of Daimler Trucks’ eActros 600. The LFP battery packs offer a gross capacity of 621 kWh, which is expected to deliver a range of 500 kilometers. The eTopas 600 is based on an 876-volt architecture and offers 394 kW continuous and 692 kW peak power in its twin-engine configuration.
SuperPanther’s truck sports dual CCS-2 charging ports, which will enable extra-high charging speeds at compatible charging stations. It’s also slated to be fitted with an MCS charging port.
Steyr Automotive will build the trucks from pre-assembled modules that include core components from China, as well as components from European suppliers including ZF, Schaeffler, Continental and Aumovio. SuperPanther is developing the e-axles, thermal management and software layer in-house, and plans to offer these solutions to third parties.
DHL has been named as the first potential customer—the logistics giant signed an MOU with SuperPanther in 2024.
Source: Electrive
