Chinese EV Big-Rig Truck Startup Windrose Makes Its U.S. Debut

Windrose, a Chinese electric heavy truck startup, has completed its first US delivery, handing over a long-haul electric semi to Texas logistics firm Allogic for $285,000. Yahoo Finance reported the news on April 8, 2026.

The company was founded in 2022 by Stanford graduate Han Wen and is headquartered in Antwerp, Belgium. It has become the first electric heavy truck manufacturer to obtain regulatory approval across China, the United States, Europe, and South America simultaneously.

The truck in question is the R700, priced around $300,000. It delivers 1,400 horsepower, roughly 640 kilometers of range per charge, and carries a 729 kWh battery on an 800V platform with megawatt-level charging capability.

Windrose uses lithium-iron-phosphate cells from Chinese supplier CALB, which sacrifice some energy density for better thermal stability, accounting for the range gap between the two trucks. Charging infrastructure is handled through partner Greenspace E-Mobility.

The launch comes at a complicated moment. U.S. tariffs on imported medium and heavy trucks are already factored into the vehicle’s price, adding cost pressure from the start. CEO Han Wen has said the company can remain profitable under the current tariff structure and is exploring options to reduce exposure, including a potential assembly facility in Arizona and a manufacturing partnership with Xos at its Tennessee plant.

Xos Trucks to Import and Support Windrose R700 in North America

Xos Trucks has signed on as the importer, dealer, and aftermarket service provider for Windrose Technology’s R700 Class 8 electric tractor in the North American market, giving the Belgian startup a seasoned commercial partner to help it scale in the US. Transport Topics reported on the Xos partnership in March.

Under the arrangement, Xos will import fully built R700 tractors and handle sales, delivery, and ongoing support through its existing network. CEO Dakota Semler said shorthaul and drayage fleets have already placed orders, though he declined to name customers.

The partnership is a natural extension of what Los Angeles-based Xos already does. The company manufactures its own battery-electric step vans and medium-duty strip chassis at its Tennessee plant and offers fleet-as-a-service products and mobile charging solutions to carriers.

“We’ve delivered and supported thousands of vehicles across the US,” Semler told Transport Topics. “Why don’t we use our support network and our commercial team to help them scale here?”

The two companies have been in conversation for nearly three years, though the relationship only became public in September 2025 when they announced that Windrose fleet customers would gain access to Xos Hub, the company’s mobile charging solution.

Semler left the door open for deeper collaboration, saying the partnership could expand depending on how customer demand develops. With Windrose targeting several hundred US deliveries in 2026 and aiming for 10,000 annual units by 2027, Xos will have plenty of opportunity to put that network to work.

Windrose plans to build up to 2,000 trucks in 2026, with several hundred destined for the US market, and aims to scale to at least 10,000 units annually by 2027.