Madrid, March 1, 2024 Herko Trucks, a Basque manufacturer of trucks powered by BioAutoGas, has signed a collaboration agreement with JAC Motors, the recently established Asian automotive and commercial vehicle giant in Europe. The aim is to drive the commercialization of environmentally friendly trucks and contribute to decarbonizing goods transport.

This alliance was signed today at the offices of the Centre for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI), part of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. It includes an initial investment of over €20 million to industrialize their heavy-vehicle assembly plant in the municipality of Abanto and Zierbena (Biscay). This new infrastructure is expected to exponentially boost production of BioAutoGas-powered trucks and expand the zero‑emission vehicle range to meet the most demanding standards in Spain and across Europe. Furthermore, the project will create more than 150 direct and over 200 indirect jobs, contributing to economic development and strengthening the business fabric in the Basque Country.

As part of their internationalization strategy, another key objective for both companies is to establish the brand in Italy, France, Turkey, Portugal, Poland, and Germany—countries that already have established gas supply networks capable of meeting projected vehicle demand.

For Pedro Silva, Founder and Chairman of the company, “this agreement enables us to align with a leading industrial partner that will help expand our Herko truck offering and continue contributing to decarbonizing urban transport with net-zero emission vehicles.”

Oscar Yu, Deputy General Manager of JAC Motors, notes, “this agreement is a great opportunity to offer the Spanish and European markets an alternative to traditional fuel vehicles that reduces carbon emissions with a very competitive total cost of ownership.”

Thus, the agreement not only strengthens their existing collaboration and commitment to reducing the environmental footprint of transport, but also contributes to Europe’s challenge of minimizing sector emissions by 90% by 2025. Ultimately, it fulfills the shared goals of both companies to promote innovation, sustainability, and economic growth—a mission at the heart of their business partnership since its inception.

Through this union, Herko plans to manufacture a total of 10,000 heavy trucks ranging from 3.5 t to 18 t by 2030. These vehicles will be powered by BioAutoGas engines from the Basque manufacturer BeGas, with which the company also shares Basque roots.



About HERKO TRUCKS:
Founded in 2021 by Pedro Silva, CEO of BeGas, and based in Euskadi, Herko Trucks is 100% nationally financed. The company is supported by the Basque Government, the Provincial Council of Biscay, the CDTI, Itzarri EPSV de Empleo, and private investment funds Easo Ventures and Full Global Investments.

The HERKO BIOS 35, their light truck model, is the first in Europe to be manufactured with a 100% BioAutoGas engine. This zero‑net‑emission alternative fuel is the only solution on the market that enables logistics companies to meet stringent EU environmental standards today—without sacrificing profitability or competitiveness.

About JAC MOTORS
Founded in 1964 in the People’s Republic of China, JAC Motors has grown over nearly 50 years to reach an annual production of over 910,000 units, ranking among the top 10 best‑selling Chinese brands and number one in light commercial vehicle exports for the past 12 consecutive years.

JAC’s core products include light, medium and heavy commercial vehicles, passenger vehicles, vans, MPVs, SRVs, electric vehicles, buses, power generators, forklifts, engines, transmissions, chassis, and other key components.

This wide product portfolio is backed by substantial investments of billions of USD in R&D centers in Hefei (China), Turin (Italy), and Tokyo (Japan). JAC also maintains partnerships with renowned research institutes and universities, both local and international, to deploy advanced technologies and build its technical competitiveness and quality across all products.