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Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania is expanding its zero-emission lineup by introducing the first Scania P 25 all-electric auto transporter. The 42-ton electric vehicle hauler could play a critical role in cutting emissions from the transportation industry.

Scania has emerged as a leading global heavy-duty truck and bus manufacturer with over 120 years of experience.

The company took a massive leap forward, rolling out its first 100% battery electric truck designed for city use in 2020. The heavy-duty electric truck featured a range of up to 250km (roughly 155 miles) on a full charge.

The release of its first regional long-haul electric truck last June with six batteries (624 kWh) delivering 217 miles of range sparked a new era as Scania transitioned to a new range of heavy-duty EV trucks.

Scania is even partnering with rival commercial truck makers Volvo Trucks and Daimler to build and operate a public electric vehicle charging network across Europe to ease the transition to zero-emission commercial travel. The group aims to install at least 1,700 fossil-free chargers.

The company has expanded electrification to several different areas of its business, pioneering new paths with the first electric timber truck and, more recently, Sweden’s largest 66-ton EV truck.

With a goal of reaching a 50% electric share of total sales while achieving CO2 neutrality by 2030, Scania is moving quickly, introducing its first purely electric vehicle hauler Thursday.

Scania-electric-vehicle-hauler-1
ARS Altmann all-electric Scania P25 vehicle hauler (Source: Scania)

Scania’s first 100% electric vehicle hauler put to work

Scania has delivered what it’s calling the world’s first battery-electric auto hauler to Bavaria-based logistics firm ARS Altmann Automobillogistik.

The logistics giant is already using the 230 kWh Scania P 25 all-electric transport for distribution. Product manager for electric mobility at Scania, Thiemo Freyer, explained:

Up to eight cars can be transported with this truck, without being too long or too tall. With a total combination weight of up to 42 tons (the maximum allowed in Germany), the electric Scania can be fully charged in less than 90 minutes at a maximum of 130 kWh (CCS 2).

As a result, the electric truck can be charged in full as the cars are unloaded and loaded for their next destination.

So far, logistics drivers are loving the new electric trucks. Manfred Rakoczi, one of the new drivers from ARS, said:

The first impressions of the truck are tremendous! The handling is very good and compared to the diesel it is lively.

Scania is using its battery electric trucks for a wide range of applications to reduce emissions in critical areas such as mining, construction, and hauling.

The company also offers a turn-key solution for customers looking to cut emissions with electric vehicles that includes charging hardware and software (including installation), financing and insurance, and tailored services to maximize uptime and productivity.

Electrek’s Take

With transportation being the fastest-growing source of emissions, Scania is on a mission to change that with its battery-electric zero-emission commercial solutions.

Several automakers have also introduced the idea of using heavy-duty electric trucks to haul vehicles, including Nissan in a partnership with Nikola and Tesla with the semi-electric truck.

Now there is no reason to use an environmentally polluting diesel truck to transport zero-emission EVs as the industry looks toward a sustainable future.

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Tesla tops 36 car Autopilot test, affordable Model Y spied, and a $5,000 EV

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Tesla tops 36 car Autopilot test, affordable Model Y spied, and a ,000 EV

Credit where credit is due: in a massive, 32-car multinational independent test, Tesla’s Autopilot ADAS came out on top, the new affordable Tesla turns out to be a corner-cutting Model Y, and one of the company’s original founders compares the Cybertruck to a dumpster. All this and more on today’s episode of Quick Charge!

Today’s episode is brought to you by Retrospec – the makers of sleek, powerful e-bikes and outdoor gear built for everyday adventure! To that end, we’ve got a pair of Retrospec e-bike reviews followed up by a super cute, super affordable new EV from China with nearly 150 miles of range for less than $5,000 USD.

PLUS: listeners can get an extra 10% off by using code ELECTREK10 at retrospec.com!

Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple PodcastsSpotifyTuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

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New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (most weeks, anyway). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news.

Got news? Let us know!
Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.


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Tesla teases new Roadster as ‘the last best driver’s car’

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Tesla teases new Roadster as 'the last best driver's car'

Tesla is again teasing the new Roadster, which is now five years late, as “the last driver’s car” before self-driving takes over.

The chicken or the egg. Is Tesla delaying the Roadster to match the development of self-driving technology, or is it delaying the development of self-driving technology to match the delayed release of the Roadster?

The prototype for the next-generation Tesla Roadster was first unveiled in 2017, and it was initially scheduled to enter production in 2020; however, it has been delayed every year since then.

It was supposed to achieve a range of 620 miles (1,000 km) and accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds.

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It has become a sort of running joke, and there are doubts that it will ever come to market despite Tesla’s promise of dozens of free new Roadsters to Tesla owners who participated in its referral program years ago.

Tesla used the promise of free Roadsters to help generate billions of dollars worth of sales, which Tesla owners delivered; however, the automaker never delivered on its part of the agreement.

Furthermore, many people placed deposits ranging from $50,000 to $250,000 to reserve the vehicle, which was initially scheduled to hit the market five years ago.

When unveiling the vehicle, CEO Elon Musk described it as a “halo car” that would deliver a “smack down” to gasoline vehicles.

That was almost eight years ago, and many electric hypercars have since launched and delivered this smackdown.

Tesla has partly blamed the delays on improving the next-gen Roadsters and added features like the “SpaceX package,” which is supposed to include cold air thrusters to enable the vehicle to fly – Musk has hinted.

Many people don’t believe any of it, as Tesla has said that it would launch the new Roadster every year for the last 5 years and never did.

Now, Lars Moravy, Tesla’s head of vehicle engineering, made a rare new comment about the next-generation Roadster during an interview at the X Takeover event, an annual gathering of Elon Musk cultists, last weekend.

He referred to Tesla’s next-gen Roadster as the “last best driver’s car” and said that the automaker did “some cool demos” for Musk last week:

We spent a lot of time in the last few years rethinking what we did, and why we did it, and what would make an awesome and exciting last best driver’s car. We’ve been making it better and better, and it is even a little bit more than a car. We showed Elon some cool demos last week and tech we’ve been working on, and he got a little excited.

The timing matches Musk’s recent claim that Tesla is going to have ‘the most epic demo ever, ’ but we heard that one before.

We suspected that the comment might be about the Tesla Roadster, as the CEO made the exact same comment about Roadster demos in 2019 and 2024. You will not be shocked to hear that these demos never happen.

Electrek’s Take

The “last best driver’s car” before computers are going to drive us everywhere. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy if you continue to delay the car. It might literally be the last car ever made that way. How would we ever know?

The truth is that the Roadster was cool when it was unveiled in 2017, but that was a long time ago. Tesla would need to update the car quite a bit to make it cool in 2025, and I don’t know that cold air clusters are it. You will have extreme limitations using those.

The Roadster is almost entirely in the “put up or shut up” category for me at Tesla. They need to stop talking about it and make it happen; otherwise, I can’t believe a word.

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Kia’s electric van spotted in the US again, but will it ever launch?

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Kia's electric van spotted in the US again, but will it ever launch?

The PV5 is already available in several markets, but will Kia launch it in the US? After Kia’s electric van was spotted testing in the US again, a US debut could be in the works.

Is Kia’s electric van coming to the US?

Kia launched the PV5, the first dedicated electric van from its new Platform Beyond vehicle (PBV) business, in South Korea and Europe earlier this year, promising it will roll out in “other global markets” in 2026.

Will that include the US? Earlier this year, Kia’s electric van was caught charging at a station in Indiana. Photos and a video sent to Electrek by Alex Nguyen confirmed it was, in fact, the PV5.

Kia has yet to say if it will sell the PV5 in the US, likely due to the Trump Administration’s new auto tariffs. All electric vans, or PBVs, including the PV5, will be built at Kia’s Hwaseong plant in South Korea, which means they will face a stiff 25% tariff as imports.

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Following another sighting, a US debut cannot be ruled out. The PV5 Passenger model was spotted by Automotive Validation Engineer Chris Higa (@Chrisediting) while testing in Arizona.

There’s no denying that’s Kia’s electric van, but it doesn’t necessarily confirm it will launch in the US. But it could make sense.

Despite record first-half sales in the US, Kia’s EV sales have fallen significantly. Sales of the EV9 and EV6 are nearly 50% less than in the first half of 2024.

To be fair, part of it is due to the new model year changeover, but Kia is also doubling down on the US market by boosting local production. Earlier this year, Kia said the EV6 and EV9 are now in full-scale production at its West Point, GA, facility.

The PV5 Passenger (shown above) is available in Europe with two battery pack options: 51.5 kWh or 71.2 kWh, rated with WLTP ranges of 179 miles and 249 miles, respectively. The Cargo variant has the same battery options but offers a WLTP range of either 181 miles or 247 miles.

During its PV5 Tech Day event last week, Kia revealed plans for seven PV5 body types, including an Open Bed (similar to a pickup), a Light Camper, and even a luxury “Prime” passenger model.

Kia's-electric-van-US
Kia PV5 tech day (Source: Kia)

Kia is set to begin deliveries of the PV5 Passenger and Cargo Long variants in South Korea next month, followed by Europe and other global markets, starting in Q4 2025. As for a US launch, we will have to wait for the official word from Kia.

Do you want Kia to bring its electric van to the US? Drop us a comment below and let us know your thoughts.

Source: Chris Higa, TheKoreanCarBlog

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