Image: Autel EuropeWindrose announced on LinkedIn that ‘response to the latest oil crisis, we have now reduced (not increased) our pricing from the original €250,000 down to €195,000 per truck for up to 100 trucks.’ As stated on the company’s homepage, this entry-level price excludes local taxes.Windrose also offers highly competitive starting prices in other markets. In the UK, the Global E700 is priced from £139,000 net, and in the US from $180,000 excluding state tax, both benefiting from national incentive programmes for electric HGVs. Pricing is also available for Australia, China, and Canada.Deliveries are scheduled to begin in the third quarter for customers who pay a 60% deposit and receive priority under the ‘Early Delivery’ programme. Standard deliveries will commence in the fourth quarter. However, Windrose has not specified whether all markets will be served simultaneously at the start of deliveries, and no details have been provided for Europe.Regarding the price reduction, the LinkedIn post further states: “Our goal is not to make more money when crude oil is at historic highs. Rather, our goal is to help accelerate the adoption of electric trucks and more quickly get to diesel parity. We invite all truck makers to do the same.”The Global E700 is a battery-electric tractor unit featuring an 800-volt architecture and a 705 kWh LFP battery. The startup claims a peak power output of 1,045 kW. Windrose estimates the vehicle’s range at between 670 and 700 kilometres. The truck is equipped with CCS and MCS charging ports, with MCS charging capacity reaching up to 870 kW, as stated on the company’s homepage. Charging time at a compatible MCS charging station for the 20% to 80% state of charge (SoC) window is quoted as 38 minutes. However, Windrose has not provided details on charging performance at CCS stations.Windrose is a Chinese electric HGV manufacturer with global ambitions. Earlier this year, the company chose the port of Antwerp in Belgium as its European hub. At Windrose Park Antwerp, the company plans to assemble vehicles for the European market and establish departments for research and development and aftersales. The strategy, which involves ‘Windrose Parks,’ partnerships with charging infrastructure and service providers, and the global Windrose platform, was explained in detail by CEO Wen Han in an interview with electrive in December.Recently, the startup, in collaboration with its partner Autel, announced that they had validated HGV charging according to the MCS standard under real-world operating conditions in Roosendaal, the Netherlands.“We are proud to partner with Autel to successfully complete MCS charging. MCS will be a cornerstone of next-generation long-haul electrification, enabling scalable and ultra-fast charging for the future of zero-emission freight,” said Wen Han, CEO of Windrose.linkedin.com, windrose.ai