On April 25, 2025, Sinotruk held the “HOWO Light Truck Commander PRO New Energy &25 Model Hanjiang Launch Conference” at the Shengtiwan Hotel in Guangming District, Shenzhen. At the same time, it announced the signing of a hydrogen energy strategic agreement with Toyota Motor Corporation, marking a new stage of development for Sinotruk in the fields of new energy commercial vehicles and hydrogen energy technology. This series of actions not only demonstrates the hard power of the enterprise’s technological innovation but also highlights its strategic foresight in responding to the global energy transition and changes in market demand.
The newly released HOWO Commander PRO new energy light truck, with “low power consumption, high load capacity, and strong safety” as its core competitiveness, directly addresses the pain points of urban distribution and intercity logistics. The vehicle is equipped with a 150.83 kWh ultra-large capacity battery, with a combined range exceeding 400 kilometers. It supports charging for several days, completely solving the range anxiety in urban distribution scenarios. In terms of intelligence, its L2+ level assisted driving system integrates rare functions for light trucks, such as accelerator misstep warning and front vehicle start reminder. Combined with 360-degree panoramic images and driver behavior monitoring systems, it builds a dual safety protection network of active and passive.
At the press conference in Shenzhen, a person in charge of a logistics enterprise said, “During the trial operation of this model, the power consumption per ton-kilometer has decreased by 18%. Coupled with the 24-hour all-weather service network, it has become our first choice for cost reduction and efficiency improvement.” This evaluation confirms the success of Sinotruk’s “scenario-based customization” strategy – through joint research and development with leading enterprises such as SF Express and JD.com, its new energy products have covered various niche scenarios including cold chain, express delivery, and supermarkets.
Hydrogen Energy Strategy Signing: Join hands with Toyota to build a zero-carbon logistics industry chain
On the same day, Sinotruk and Toyota signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Nagoya, Japan. The two sides will carry out in-depth cooperation in the research and development, demonstration operation, and business model innovation of hydrogen fuel cell heavy-duty trucks. Yoichi Miyazaki, vice president of Toyota Motor Corporation, emphasized: “The Chinese heavy truck market is an important scenario for the application of hydrogen energy technology. The hydrogen fuel cell tractors jointly developed by both sides have achieved batch delivery, and the application boundaries will be further expanded.”
Sinotruk has long been making plans in the hydrogen energy sector. In 2024, its hydrogen fuel cell heavy-duty trucks have achieved large-scale application in scenarios such as Daqing Oilfield and Xinjiang coal transportation, with an annual carbon reduction of over 120 tons per vehicle. This cooperation with Toyota will accelerate the efficiency improvement and cost reduction of hydrogen power systems, and promote the leap of hydrogen heavy-duty trucks from “demonstration operation” to “commercial popularization”.
A series of recent moves by Shandong Heavy Industry Group, the parent company of Sinotruk, in Japan have provided solid support for its technological upgrade. On April 24th, Man Shengang, the chairman of the group, visited the Weichai Tokyo Innovation Center and the Lovol Osaka Innovation Center, and witnessed the signing of cooperation agreements with enterprises such as Riken Nichihuan and Horiba Manufacturing. Among them, the joint research and development with Riken in the field of methanol/hydrogen engine piston rings will be directly applied to Sinotruk’s next-generation low-carbon powertrain.
Through the collaborative model of “R&D in Japan + manufacturing in China”, Sinotruk is rapidly absorbing the world’s top technologies. For instance, its latest generation MC13H engine completed durability tests at Weichai’s Tokyo Innovation Center. The B10’s lifespan exceeded 2 million kilometers, while fuel consumption was reduced by 12% compared to the National VI standard. This “global technology integration + localized improvement” strategy has significantly enhanced its products’ competitiveness in the global market.
Market performance: Double growth in new energy orders and overseas markets
Technological breakthroughs are directly transformed into market advantages. In the first quarter of 2025, the sales volume of Sinotruk’s new energy heavy-duty trucks increased by 210% year-on-year. Among them, the market share of HOWO’s new energy light-duty trucks in cities such as Shenzhen and Chengdu exceeded 35%. Since April, its HOWO TX7 gas tractors have received over 500 orders in Hebei, Shanxi and other places, while SITRAk high-horsepower gas tractors have achieved batch deliveries in the Central Asian and Southeast Asian markets.
What is more worthy of attention is that the cooperation between Sinotruk and Toyota will provide a “technical endorsement” for Sinotruk to expand into the high-end markets of Europe and America. The person in charge of Toyota’s hydrogen energy plant disclosed that the two sides are jointly developing hydrogen energy heavy-duty trucks that comply with the EU ECE R134 standard and plan to enter the European market in 2026.
Industry Impact: From “Made in China” to “Global Value Chain Reconstruction”
The rise of Sinotruk reflects the transformation of China’s commercial vehicle industry from “following” to “leading”. Through chain cooperation with enterprises such as Toyota, Weichai and Bosch, it has established a complete technological ecosystem covering power systems, intelligent connectivity and hydrogen energy technology. As industry analysts have put it, “The path of Sinotruk proves that open innovation and breakthroughs in scenario-based technologies are the core codes for commercial vehicle enterprises to navigate through cycles.”
In the future, with the deepening of cooperation with Toyota’s hydrogen energy and the technology spillover from Japan’s innovation center, Sinotruk is expected to achieve a proportion of over 50% of its new energy products by 2030 and accelerate the transformation of the global heavy truck industry towards zero carbon and intelligence. This technology-driven transformation will not only reshape the landscape of China’s commercial vehicle industry but also provide a “Chinese solution” for the sustainable development of the global logistics industry.
