August 10, 2026 9:42 AM, EDT
Radstrom speaks at the Norges Bank Investment Management annual investment conference in Oslo, Norway, in April. (Carina Johansen/Bloomberg)
Key Takeaways:
Daimler Truck CEO Karin Rådström said Aug. 7 the company could face about 1 billion euros in EU emissions fines if it misses 2030 targets.Rådström said Daimler Truck may fall 10% to 15% short despite investing in zero-emission trucks, citing weak demand, limited charging infrastructure and affordability.The warning came as Daimler Truck confirmed a stronger outlook, helped by North American demand and a U.S. tariff exemption for many Mexico-assembled parts.
Daimler Truck Holding AG could face some 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) in fines if the European Union sticks to its emission rules.
The world’s biggest truck maker faces a penalty of about 120 million euros for every percentage point by which it misses the 2030 target, CEO Karin Rådström said Aug. 7 in an interview. With the current trajectory, the company would fall some 10% to 15% short of the target. That would translate into a fine of around 1 billion euros, according to the manager.
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“I think these penalties aren’t fair,” she said. Daimler Truck has “done its homework” by developing several emission-free truck models but a lack of charging infrastructure and affordability is limiting demand.
While the firm’s market share in zero-emission vehicle trucks is at around 38% in Europe, overall sales remain very small. Battery-powered commercial vehicles account for around 6% of the total market. The current trajectory means the regulation is falling short of reality, as efforts to shift to electric and hydrogen offerings continue, the executive said.
“We have been preparing ourselves to be able to hit that target, we’ve invested also in product to make that happen,” Rådström said. “We have a lot of people who work here because they want to be part of like this change.”
Earlier Aug. 7, the company reported second-quarter results, confirming an improved outlook on the back of higher demand in North America and changes to the US tariff framework.
Daimler Truck has secured a tariff exemption for more than half of its truck parts that it assembles in Mexico but produces in the U.S., the CEO said. During the first quarter, when the company was still exposed to the full impact of the duties, it said it paid a low triple-digit million euro net tariff.