China tells automakers to pause investment in tariff-supporting countries
China has reportedly already told its major automakers to hold off investments in EU countries that supported Europe’s new EV tariffs, according to Reuters.
While China started a little slow in the EV game, its investments into EV manufacturing have now started to bear fruit, and the country’s manufacturers have rapidly caught up and now passed western automakers, particularly on price.
As a result, both Europe and the US have recently imposed large tariffs on Chinese EVs, fearing that Chinese cars will undercut domestic industry with lower manufacturing costs. Chinese EVs are already quite popular in Europe, though very few sell in the US.
While the EU tariff vote passed handily, the voting patterns among countries mostly reflected fear of retaliatory tariffs. As is often the case with tariffs, a country can’t simply impose a restriction without expecting any pushback.
This is why, for example, Germany voted against the final tariff despite abstaining for the initial vote. German automakers do a lot of high-margin business in China, and worried that China would no longer purchase their autos either because of retaliatory tariffs or consumer animosity towards foreign brands (which is already happening, well before these tariff talks).
And China specifically has been quite effective in the past at responding to tariffs with targeted retaliatory tariffs of its own. Indeed, they’re already investigating EU dairy and wine products as potential tariff targets.
So it’s no surprise that today, on the same day as EU’s new tariffs went into effect, a report from Reuters says that the Chinese government has told automakers to think carefully before investing in Europe, particularly in countries that voted in favor of or abstained from the EU’s tariff imposition.
Several Chinese automakers are already considering building factories in Europe in order to localize production and bypass tariffs, including BYD, Geely and XPeng. This is kind of the intended effect of tariffs – ensuring that foreign automakers will invest in local production and local jobs.
But China wants to ensure that that investment money goes to countries that didn’t vote in favor of tariffs. BYD for example is currently building a plant in Hungary, a country that voted against the tariffs.
Meanwhile, other countries that did vote for the tariffs have attempted to get Chinese firms to invest in building factories there, like France and Italy. But this new directive would make their path towards investment tougher, if Chinese firms follow the government’s guidance.
This is likely not the only action that China will take in response to EU’s tariffs, merely a preliminary one. But it does show China’s willingness to swiftly respond to countries imposition of trade restrictions.
Concurrently, discussions are ongoing between EU and China about a potential minimum pricing deal to avoid tariffs. The hope was for those to conclude before tariffs were imposed, but it seems that they will have to continue.
Electrek’s Take
As I’ve said many times before, tariffs on China are not the answer to winning the EV arms race. I think countries would be much better off incentivizing local production than disincentivizing overseas production, and all the messy secondary effects that come along with the latter.
Further, tariffs can often lead to a sense of complacency for domestic manufacturers, who encourage them so they can have time to ramp up, and then take that time to slow-roll their ramp so that they end up back where they started. We saw this in the 70s with Japan in steel and autos – and the emergency tariffs did not forestall 50 years of Japanese export dominance (they were only kicked dethroned as #1 auto exporter last year – by China).
So despite the entrance of China onto the international automaker stage, most of the last year has been characterized by automakers doing their damnedest to slow down EV adoption. They’re scaling back production plans despite increasing EV demand , they’re begging governments to allow them to pollute more, and they’re generally not indicating that they’ll use the “time” these tariff impositions have given them wisely.
If this continues, then all Europe will get for its tariffs are a delay of the inevitable. They might still get some factories, but those factories will be owned by foreign entities instead of local ones. And this will come along with a lot of pain for whichever industries China decides to target with retaliatory tariffs, and with less competition and more inflation for local consumers as auto prices are buoyed by these tariffs.
I know I keep repeating myself (for more than a decade now…), but the true answer to this would have been to take EVs seriously from the get-go, instead of all the waffling that Western automakers have done that has left them now behind. That should have started long ago, but as the famous (possibly Chinese) proverb says: “the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the second best time is today.”
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Following approval from Transport Canada, EV startup Workhorse will be bringing the W56 and W750 model electric delivery vans to commercial truck dealers in Canada as early as this spring.
Workhorse first showed its W56 medium-duty electric truck at Indiana’s Work Truck Week in 2023, and has sold the trucks to logistics and delivery companies like FedEx and Pride Group – which ordered more than six thousand of the electric vans in 2021, and continues to expand its fleet.
“This is a major step forward for Workhorse,” says Josh Anderson, Workhorse’s chief technology officer in a press statement. “Pre-clearance from Transport Canada opens up a large new market for our products throughout Canada, including with fleets that operate across borders in North America.”
As part of the approval process, Workhorse completed its registration as a foreign manufacturer under Transport Canada’s Appendix G clearance program. Transport Canada confirmed the vans’ compliance with Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS) for both vehicles – but it remains to be seen if and how the latest tariff-driven trade war between the Trump Administration’s US and Canada will impact Workhorse’s plans to expand throughout North America.
Despite that uncertainty, Workhorse execs remain upbeat. “We’re excited that our electric step vans can now reach Canadian roads and highways, providing reliable, zero-emission solutions that customers can depend on,” added Anderson.
Canadian pricing has yet to be announced.
Electrek’s Take
There’s no other way to say it: the Trump/Musk co-presidency is disrupting a lot of companies’ plans – and that’s especially true across North American borders. But in all this chaos and turmoil there undoubtedly lies opportunity, and it will be interesting to see who ends up on top.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Workhorse, via Electric Autonomy Canada.
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![Liebherr developing giant, 140-ton Segway-style autonomous haulers [video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/operational-area-earth-moving-copy.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
The new Liebherr S1 Vision 140-ton hauler is unlike any heavy haul truck currently on the market – primarily because the giant, self-propelled, single-axle autonomous bucket doesn’t look anything like any truck you’ve ever seen.
Liebherr says its latest heavy equipment concept was born from a desire to rethink truck design with a focus only on core functions. The resulting S1 Vision is primarily just a single axle with two powerful electric motors sending power to a pair of massive airless tires designed carry loads up to 131 tonnes (just over 140 tons).
The design enables rapid maintenance, as important components easily accessible for quick servicing. Wear parts can be replaced efficiently, and the electric drive significantly reduces maintenance work. This helps to minimise downtimes and increases operational efficiency.
LIEBHERR
Because of its versatility, durability, and ability to perform zero-turn maneuvers that other equipment simply can’t, the Liebherr S1 Vision can be adapted for various applications, including earthmoving, mining, and even agriculture. There’s also a nonzero chance of this technology finding applications supporting other on-site equipment through charging or fuel delivery.
The S1 accomplishes that trick safely with the help of an automatic load leveling system that ensures maximum stability, even on bumpy or rough terrain. The company says this technology significantly reduces the risk of tipping while providing smooth and secure operation across various environments.
Liebherr will show the S1 Vision at this year’s bauma equipment exhibition in Munich, Germany. The design has already been nominated for the bauma Innovation Award in the Mechanical Engineering category – and my money’s on it winning.
Electrek’s Take
This is such goofy, stupid fun that if it was wheelbarrow-sized I’d have three of them. I can’t imagine the insanity of watching one of these things roll across a job site with 100 tons of granite in the bucket – and will have nightmares about the kind of damage it could do if it flipped out like a poorly made Chinese hoverboard clone whipping a toddler across a living room … which, in fairness, would probably get a billion views on Instagram or TikTok or whatever.
I can’t wait.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Liebherr.
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The HD arm of Hyundai has just released the first official images of the new, battery-electric HX19e mini excavator – the first ever production electric excavator from the global South Korean manufacturer.
The HX19e will be the first all-electric asset to enter series production at Hyundai Construction Equipment, with manufacturing set to begin this April.
The new HX19e will be offered with either a 32 kWh or 40 kWh li-ion battery pack – which, according to Hyundai, is nearly double the capacity offered by its nearest competitor (pretty sure that’s not correct –Ed.). The 40kWh battery allows for up to 6 hours and 40 minutes of continuous operation between charges, with a break time top-up on delivering full shift usability.
Those batteries send power to a 13 kW (17.5 hp) electric motor that drives an open-center hydraulic system. Hyundai claims the system delivers job site performance that is at least equal to, if not better than, that of its diesel-powered HX19A mini excavator.
To that end, the Hyundai XH19e offers the same 16 kN bucket breakout force and a slightly higher 9.4 kN (just over 2100 lb-ft) dipper arm breakout force. The maximum digging depth is 7.6 feet, and the maximum digging reach is 12.9 feet. Hyundai will offer the new electric excavator with just four selectable options:
- enclosed cab vs. open canopy
- 32 or 40 kWh battery capacity
All HX19es will ship with a high standard specification that includes safety valves on the main boom, dipper arm, and dozer blade hydraulic cylinders, as well as two-way auxiliary hydraulic piping allows the machine to be used with a range of commercially available implements. The hydraulics needed to operate a quick coupler, LED booms lights, rotating beacons, an MP3 radio with USB connectivity, and an operator’s seat with mechanical suspension are also standard.
Like its counterparts at Volvo CE, the new Hyundai excavator uses automotive-style charging ports to take advantage of existing infrastructure at fleet depots and public charging stations. More detailed specifications, dimensions, and pricing should be announced by bauma.
Electrek’s Take
The ability to operate indoors, underground, or in environments like zoos and hospitals were keeping noise levels down is of critical importance to the success of an operation makes electric equipment assets like these coming from Hyundai a must-have for fleet operators and construction crews that hope to remain competitive in the face of ever-increasing noise regulations. The fact that these are cleaner, safer, and cheaper to operate is just icing on that cake.
SOURCE | IMAGES: HD Hyundai; via Construction Index, Equipment World.
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