What ORTEN Electric-Trucks does

ORTEN Electric-Trucks, legally ETW Electric-Trucks Wittlich GmbH, is a German specialist that retrofits new and used diesel commercial vehicles — trucks, transporters, buses, and special-purpose vehicles from 3t to 18t gross vehicle weight — into 100% battery-electric drive, working manufacturer-independently across base platforms such as Mercedes-Benz Atego, MAN TGL, VW T5 and Sprinter. Its core technology stack integrates Voith central electric motors with CATL lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery packs, and is complemented by proprietary bodywork such as the patented SafeServer ultralight sliding-tarpaulin system that delivers approximately 30% more payload than diesel series vehicles. The product portfolio is organized into four categories (7.5t–18t trucks, 3t–5.5t transporters, 12m–18m buses, and 5.5t special vehicles with bodies such as garbage compactors, cranes and sweepers), with ongoing pilots in used-diesel-bus-to-electric conversion conducted with partner To Zero (Erfurt).

The company generates revenue through four streams: (i) professional conversion services for customer-owned diesel fleets, (ii) direct hardware sales of pre-converted electric vehicles, (iii) leasing and financing arranged through its house bank, and (iv) short-term rental (minimum three months) of 7.5t trucks and e-transporters for customer evaluation. Go-to-market is sales-led and direct, targeting fleet operators, municipalities and logistics enterprises, supported by trade-show presence (IAA, NUFAM, i-mobility Stuttgart), PR, and a bilingual website. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; transactions are quoted on a project basis.

The company traces its roots to the ORTEN brand founded in 1925 as a blacksmith workshop in Bernkastel-Kues and was established as an independent electric-mobility startup in July 2015, with third-generation family leadership under CEO Robert Orten. It employs approximately 120 people across three facilities (HQ in Bernkastel-Kues; conversion operations at Belingerstraße 78, Wittlich). In March 2025 the ORTEN Group was acquired by TRENTAR MOBILITY GmbH, marking a transition from family-only ownership to a strategic mobility platform. Named customers include Deutsche Post DHL Group, Albert Heijn (Amsterdam, 25 units), BSR Berlin, Verkehrsbetriebe Schwäbisch Hall, Dachser, Meyer & Meyer, CFL logistics Luxembourg and Stadt Bernkastel-Kues.

Name

ORTEN Electric-Trucks

Legal name

ETW Electric-Trucks Wittlich GmbH

Website

https://electric-trucks.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ORTEN Electric-Trucks is a German specialist that retrofits new and used diesel commercial vehicles (3t–18t trucks, transporters, buses, and special vehicles) into 100% battery-electric drive using Voith motors and CATL LFP batteries, serving fleet operators, municipalities and logistics enterprises across Germany, the Netherlands, France and Luxembourg.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electric Commercial Vehicle Conversion

NAICS

Motor Vehicle Electrical and Electronic Equipment Manufacturing (33632), Heavy Duty Truck Manufacturing (336120)

SIC

Motors & Generators (3621)

akta.pro primary industry

EV Retrofit & Electrification Conversions (Fleet/Commercial) (TLAKAMAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hybrid System Service (ICE-EV Integration, HV Components) (TLAKAMAJ), Electric Drive Units & E-Axles Rebuild/Remanufacturing (EV/Hybrid) (TLAKALAH)

Keywords

• Electric truck conversion
• Commercial vehicle electrification
• Diesel-to-electric retrofit
• Urban logistics vehicles
• Electric bus conversion

Headquarters

HQ city

Wittlich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Electric Conversion Services: Manufacturer-independent conversion of new and used diesel commercial vehicles (3t to 18t gross weight) to 100% electric drive. Customers can have their existing diesel fleet electrified.
2. Electric Vehicle Sales: Sale of pre-converted electric commercial vehicles including trucks, transporters, buses, and special purpose vehicles.
3. Leasing and Financing: Competitive financing terms provided through their house bank for conversion and acquisition of electric commercial vehicles.
4. Vehicle Rental: Rental of electric trucks and transporters for testing and evaluation purposes, minimum rental period of 3 months.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ORTEN Electric-Trucks is a specialist that retrofits new and used diesel commercial vehicles (trucks, transporters, buses, and special-purpose vehicles) from 3 tonnes to 18 tonnes gross weight to 100% battery-electric drive, manufacturer-independently. The company delivers turnkey electrified vehicles with individual customization, supplemented by leasing/financing through a partner house bank and a rental program (minimum 3 months) for evaluation purposes.

Product overview

ORTEN Electric-Trucks operates as a vehicle conversion specialist, retrofitting new and used diesel commercial vehicles (trucks, transporters, buses, and special-purpose vehicles) from 3 tonnes to 18 tonnes gross weight to 100% battery-electric drive. The product portfolio is organized into four vehicle categories: (1) Trucks — ranging from the 7.5t ORTEN E 75 AT (based on Mercedes-Benz Atego) and E 75 TL (based on MAN TGL, specialized for beverage delivery with SafeServer tarp body), through the 12t E 120 LF and 18t E 180 AX; (2) Transporters — spanning the 3t ET 30 V (VW T5), 3.5t ET 35 M and ET 35 V (Mercedes-Benz Sprinter), plus the new ET 46, available with various bodies including box, City ROS, and sweeper configurations; (3) Buses — 12m city bus conversions, with the program also covering minibuses, 18m articulated buses, and coach buses; (4) Special Vehicles — the 5.5t ET 55 M platform adapted with garbage press, crane (Steiger), and sweeper bodies. The company was founded in 2012 in the electromobility sector and operates as an independent startup since July 2015, headquartered in Bernkastel-Kues with production in Wittlich-Wengerohr. Services include conversion (core offering), leasing/financing, and rental (minimum three months).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ORTEN Electric-Trucks: Brand specializing in the electrification conversion of commercial vehicles including trucks (7.5t-18t), transporters (3t-5.5t), buses (12m city buses, 18m articulated buses), and special vehicles.

Products and services

• ORTEN E 75 AT Electrified 7.5-tonne truck based on a converted Mercedes-Benz Atego 7.49t, offering 130% of the original diesel payload through electric drive retrofit. Targeted at fleet operators needing higher payload electric trucks.
• ORTEN E 75 TL Electrified 7.5-tonne MAN TGL 7.49t with patented SafeServer sliding tarp body in ultralight design, delivering approximately 30% greater payload than the diesel series version, specialized for beverage distribution.
• ORTEN E 120 LF 12-tonne electrified truck for urban distribution, featuring a box body with loading bridge for efficient cargo handling.
• ORTEN E 180 AX 18-tonne electrified truck for heavier urban and regional transport applications.
• ORTEN ET 30 V Electrified 3-tonne transporter based on VW T5, designed for last-mile urban delivery.
• ORTEN ET 35 M Electrified 3.5-tonne transporter based on Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, available with various bodies including box and sweeper configurations.
• ORTEN ET 35 M mit City ROS ORTEN ET 35 M variant equipped with City ROS (reverse osmosis system) for specialized urban applications.
• ORTEN ET 35 V Electrified 3.5-tonne transporter variant for urban delivery operations.
• ORTEN ET 46 New electrified 3.5-tonne transporter (NEU), representing the latest addition to the transporter lineup.
• 12 m Stadtbus (City Bus) 12-metre city bus converted from diesel to 100% battery-electric drive, part of ORTEN's bus electrification program covering minibuses, 12m city buses, 18m articulated buses, and coach buses.
• ORTEN ET 55 M mit Müllpresse 5.5-tonne electrified special vehicle equipped with a garbage press compactor, designed for urban waste collection operations.
• ORTEN ET 55 M mit Steiger 5.5-tonne electrified special vehicle fitted with an elevating work platform (Steiger/crane), for maintenance and construction applications.
• ORTEN ET 35 M Kehrwagen 3.5-tonne electrified sweeper vehicle based on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter platform for urban cleaning operations.
• Electric Truck Conversion Service Core conversion service: retrofitting new and used diesel commercial vehicles from 3t to 18t gross weight to 100% electric drive, manufacturer-independent, with individual customization options based on customer range and payload requirements.
• E-Nutzfahrzeug Leasing & Finanzierung Leasing and financing services offered through the company's house bank for the conversion and acquisition of electric commercial vehicles at competitive rates.
• E-Nutzfahrzeug Vermietung Rental service for 7.5t trucks and e-transporters, available for testing and evaluation from a minimum of three months, subject to availability.

Quantifiable outcome

• 130% payload capacity achieved on E 75 AT conversion
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TRENTAR MOBILITY GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTRENTAR MOBILITY GmbH acquired the ORTEN Group, making them part of a larger mobility organization.
• VoithcoreTechnology or IntegrationVoith provides the central motor drive system for bus conversions. Their Zentralmotor is used in the electric bus conversion projects.
• CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology)coreTechnology or IntegrationCATL supplies lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries for bus conversions. 420 kWh total capacity in twelve 35 kWh packs.
• To Zero (Erfurt)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for bus conversion work. To Zero in Erfurt handles significant portion of bus conversion and restructuring work.
• EFA-S Elektrofahrzeuge StuttgartminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership for electric vehicle sales and distribution, particularly in the Stuttgart region.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Lightning eMotors: US-based commercial vehicle electrification company that converts fleet vehicles to electric drive across vans, trucks, and shuttle buses. Closest North American analog in the commercial-vehicle retrofit niche.
• SEA Electric: Commercial EV powertrain specialist providing proprietary electric power systems for retrofitting trucks and commercial vehicles. Direct competitor in the commercial-vehicle retrofit/conversion niche.
• Xos Trucks: US manufacturer of medium- and heavy-duty commercial EVs serving last-mile delivery and vocational fleets. Provides perspective on the native-OEM alternative to retrofit-centric fleet electrification models.
• Quantron: German EV commercial vehicle specialist retrofitter converting diesel trucks and buses to electric drive across truck, transporter, and bus categories. Closest geographic and business-model analog to ORTEN Electric-Trucks.
• Kleanbus: UK-based bus repower specialist that converts diesel buses to battery-electric drive. Highly comparable in the conversion-of-existing-ICE-fleets-to-EV model that ORTEN's newly launched bus retrofit program now pursues.

Emerging players

• Zenobē Energy: UK battery-energy and electric bus specialist offering fleet electrification, battery leasing, and bus retrofits. Comparable in targeting European e-bus fleets with conversion/financing-style solutions.

Broad incumbents

• Renault Trucks: French heavy and light commercial vehicle OEM with a growing electric lineup (Renault E-Tech D, T, C series). Competes with ORTEN in the medium-duty urban delivery segment using native EVs.
• Volvo Trucks: European heavy truck OEM with expanding electric lineup (Volvo FH Electric, FM Electric, FL/FE Electric). Direct competitor as factory EV trucks gain share against retrofits.
• MAN Truck & Bus: German OEM and existing chassis supplier to ORTEN (MAN TGL), now launching the MAN eTruck. Combines roles as both upstream supplier and a growing native-EV competitor.
• Daimler Truck: Major German heavy truck OEM (Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, Fuso) now launching factory-built EVs (eActros, eCascadia). Serves as both an upstream Mercedes chassis supplier to ORTEN and a scaling native-EV manufacturer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube-nocookie.com/channel/UCzQEj
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orten-electric-trucks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ORTEN Electric-Trucks