Hefei, China: While Tesla’s Semi grabs Western headlines, a Baidu-backed startup called DeepWay is quietly outselling almost every electric truck brand in the world with its flagship model, the DeepWay Star, built around a massive 600 kWh CATL battery pack. The company delivered over 8,000 of these electric heavy-duty trucks in 2025 alone and is now pushing into Southeast Asia while preparing a Hong Kong IPO.
Table of Contents
What Is the DeepWay Star 600?
The DeepWay Star is a fully electric, purpose-built heavy-duty tractor truck — not a converted diesel platform. It carries a 600 kWh battery pack supplied by CATL, giving it over 500 km (around 310 miles) of range on a full charge when unladen. At its rated 49-tonne gross combined weight, real-world range drops to roughly 400 km, which is still competitive for long-haul freight duty in China, Thailand, New Zealand, and Australia.
The truck’s standout feature is flexible energy replenishment. Owners can either fast-charge two battery packs simultaneously in about 30 minutes, or swap depleted batteries for fully charged ones at dedicated battery-swap stations in roughly six minutes — a detail aimed squarely at fleet operators who cannot afford long downtime.
DeepWay Star vs. DeepWay StarWay: Quick Specs
| Spec | DeepWay Star (600 kWh) | DeepWay StarWay (120 kWh) |
|---|---|---|
| Battery pack | 600 kWh (CATL) | 120 kWh |
| Range (unladen) | 500+ km | 320 km |
| Range (at 49-tonne GCWR) | ~400 km | Lower, city/regional use |
| Fast charging | 0–80% in ~30 min (dual-port) | 0–80% in under 40 min |
| Battery swap | ~6 minutes | Not standard |
| Body style | Tesla Semi-like anteater nose | Cabover |
| Use case | Long-haul, high-tonnage freight | Regional/lighter-duty freight |
Going Global: The Thailand and ASEAN Push
In January 2026, DeepWay’s 6×4 electric tractor variant of the Star launched in Thailand through local distributor Prime E Truck Co., priced at roughly 6.55 million Thai baht. Prime E Truck’s chairman positioned the deal as part of a broader push to move Thai logistics operators off diesel, while CATL’s regional service executive highlighted that the Star’s third-generation battery is rated for up to eight years or 4,500 charge cycles — about 1.6 million km of usable life with less than 30% degradation. Average energy consumption on the truck comes in around 1.3 kWh per km.
This follows deliveries the company has already made across China, New Zealand, and Australia, alongside anchor customers like CATL itself, Mengniu Dairy, and SF Express in its home market.
Also Read : Kia PV7 Unveiled: Specs, Range, and Is It Coming to the US?
The Business Behind the Truck: Baidu, IPO, and Rapid Growth
DeepWay was founded in December 2020 by logistics group Shiqiao (Lionbridge) together with Baidu, which holds close to a 13.5% stake and supplies its Apollo autonomous-driving platform under an exclusive commercial-vehicle authorization. That partnership lets DeepWay’s trucks run high-level assisted-driving features, and the company has already secured a commercial autonomous-vehicle road-test license in Beijing.
Deliveries have scaled fast: 509 units in 2023, 3,002 in 2024, and 8,020 in 2025 — making DeepWay roughly the ninth-largest electric/new-energy truck brand globally despite still running at a loss. As of an updated 2026 prospectus, the company reported annual revenue nearing RMB 4 billion against a loss of about RMB 650 million, and it closed a fresh $310 million pre-IPO round led by UAE’s Stone Capital, with Australia’s NGS Super and other existing backers (ABC Impact, Nanjing Ronghe Capital) also participating, ahead of a planned Hong Kong Stock Exchange listing.
AutoAkhbar Verdict
The DeepWay Star 600 matters less as a single product and more as a signal: China’s electric heavy-truck ecosystem — CATL batteries, Baidu autonomy, and purpose-built EV chassis — is maturing faster than most Western markets expect, and it’s now actively exporting that stack into Southeast Asia. For fleet operators outside China, the pitch is straightforward — lower total cost of ownership versus diesel (DeepWay claims an 18.7% reduction) plus swap-station flexibility that sidesteps long charging downtime. Whether that translates into a real dent in markets used to Volvo, Scania, or Tata trucks will depend on charging/swap infrastructure rollout outside China — worth watching as the Hong Kong IPO brings more financial disclosure into the open.
FAQs
What is the range of the DeepWay Star 600?
Over 500 km unladen, dropping to about 400 km at its fully loaded 49-tonne gross combined weight rating.
How long does the DeepWay Star take to charge?
About 30 minutes for a 0–80% fast charge across its dual charge ports, or roughly 6 minutes via battery swap.
Where is the DeepWay Star 600 available?
China, Thailand (via Prime E Truck), New Zealand, and Australia, with more ASEAN expansion planned.
Is DeepWay going public?
Yes — the company has filed an updated prospectus for a Hong Kong Stock Exchange IPO after a $310 million pre-IPO funding round in 2026.
Sources: Electrek, Thairath, Taibo, Yicai Global
