Boutique e-truck builder Designwerk enters the Benelux

Designwerk, a Swiss company specializing in building custom electric trucks for specific use cases, entered the Benelux market after expanding to Germany. The company is mainly owned by Volvo Trucks and converts diesel-powered trucks into e-trucks with up to 1 000 kWh battery capacities.

Designwerk (DW)’s origins trace back to 2008 when converting small vehicles to electric drivetrains, but in 2015, the company started building electric trucks under the Futuricum name. The company was also responsible for developing what would become the Microlino. Since 2021, Volvo Group has had a majority stake in Designwerk, so it makes sense that the bulk of the DW range comprises Volvo Trucks models.

Specialized vehicles

But rather than competing with the mass-produced Volvo e-trucks, Designwerk takes a more specialized approach, building custom vehicles for different sectors like garbage companies, construction, or agriculture.

The range covers e-trucks from 18 to 50 tons, with up to 1 000 kWh of battery power thanks to the company’s own battery assembly. That is much more than what Volvo Trucks can offer right now, and it allows Designwerk’s long-haul e-trucks to cover up to 760 km per charge.

Designwerk prides itself on offering a large battery capacity and powering complex superstructures from the battery rather than needing an external drive unit. However, the price will likely be slightly higher than Volvo’s offer due to the smaller production scale. Designwerk also offers mobile (fast) chargers and scalable battery systems.