“Financing is not typically the first thing people think about when it comes to driving sustainability,” Per-Eric Ericsson admits. “But if we’re good at financing electric vehicles, we sell more of them. And that means we contribute to a sustainable transport system.”
It’s a logic that requires deep customer understanding, new commercial models, and close collaboration across brands and functions. Working with business development at Scania Financial Services and leading e-mobility financing, Ericsson has spent the past few years building exactly that: financial solutions designed not just to fund vehicles, but to de-risk the transition to battery-electric fleets.
The focus has been on intensive knowledge building and best practice sharing, both within Scania Financial Services (SFS) organization and cross-functionally. The results are already visible in the form of increased trust and a stronger bridge between the finance and product sides of the business. A prime example is the recent collaboration with Renall, a Swedish recycling company. To help them go electric, Scania delivered a comprehensive solution that combined the vehicles themselves with depot charging equipment and an operating lease. While the lease was only one piece of the puzzle, it was the critical component that made the commercial decision manageable for the customer. Now, Ericsson and his team are pushing further: developing usage-based payment models tied to battery performance, piloting charging-infrastructure financing with Erinion, Scania’s charging company, and exchanging insights across the TRATON Financial Services network to ensure customers in every market get the support they need.
For someone unfamiliar with the industry: how does financing contribute to sustainability?
It comes down to one thing: if we’re good at financing electric vehicles, we sell more electric vehicles.
We know from research across industries that offering financing increases sales. It improves customer retention. The likelihood that a customer buys from you again goes up. So, if we can make financing easy and attractive for battery-electric trucks, we directly support the shift toward a more sustainable transport system.
What makes financing BEVs different from financing diesel trucks?
With a diesel truck, a large part of the total cost of ownership comes from fuel. With a BEV, a much larger share comes from the upfront investment. That changes the logic.
We believe this will drive demand for more flexible, usage-based financing models, ideally tied to cycled energy or battery degradation, not just mileage. If a customer uses a BEV less than expected, flexible payments benefit them more than with a diesel truck, where lower fuel costs would compensate anyway. We haven’t seen huge demand for this yet, but I believe it’s coming.
You mentioned battery degradation. How does Scania FS approach risk and residual value with BEVs?
Knowledge of the assets you finance is key. With BEVs, it’s critical to be curious and to learn from colleagues across Scania, from TRATON Financial Services, from the commercial organization.
Battery monitoring will be super important going forward. We need to collect, monitor, and make battery data transparent — to us and to our customers. If we offer flexible payment schemes based on battery usage, transparency is a prerequisite.
And it’s not just about maximizing battery capacity. It’s about optimizing it – balancing cost, vehicle weight, and payload. Following battery performance will be crucial for optimal vehicle usage over time.
Beyond traditional financing, what new solutions are you developing?
We’re working with Erinion on “as-a-service” solutions for charging infrastructure. Besides that, we’re promoting financing for depot charging installations through loan or lease.
We’re also exploring bundling: packaging services with the vehicle and financing. BEVs and everything around them can feel complex to customers. Our job is to make it easy.
Another area is flexibility through our rental fleet. If a customer isn’t ready to commit fully to electric, rental can be a bridge.
Can you give an example of how this works in practice?
The Renall case mentioned above is a good example, Scania delivered a complete solution — from initial prospecting to delivery. We financed the vehicles on operating lease.
It was only a small piece of the puzzle, but it shows how collaboration between all Scania stakeholders led to an offer that made it easy for the customer to go electric.
We’re also discussing a totally new kind of financial solution for a pilot with Erinion. It’s still early days, but I hope we can share more about that later.
What trends are you seeing across different regions?
If we focus on BEVs, it’s very much centered in Europe. The infrastructure is more mature here: access to electricity, grid capacity. In Latin America or Africa, the infrastructure simply isn’t there yet. You can be a fan of electric vehicles, but if you don’t have electricity or grid capacity, there’s no business case.
That said, what we develop in Europe can be scaled to other regions when BEV adoption picks up there. In regions where BEVs will take longer, it’s about finding solutions for other sustainable alternatives, like gas vehicles.
You mentioned depot charging. Why is that such a key factor?
Because it supports the business case for many customers. If possible, charging at your home depot costs less than public charging.
And there’s another benefit: the truck is standing overnight, fully charged in the morning. If you’re driving shorter routes in cities or regions, you can operate the full day without stopping. You don’t lose productivity because you have to charge for 45 minutes.
An increasing number of customers are telling us that if they can charge at their depot an electric truck already makes more business sense than diesel. What we can do is make that visible.
What key hurdles do customers still face?
The price tag is one. If you look at a BEV versus a diesel truck, the difference is substantial. That’s why we engage in dialogue and focus on total cost of ownership — not just the upfront investment. Of course, we do this together with our colleagues on the commercial side.
Another hurdle is the perception of complexity. BEVs, charging, grid capacity, battery performance — it can feel overwhelming. Our job is to package it in a way that makes sense and makes the decision easy.
What personally motivates you to keep working on this?
I’ve always been motivated by finding solutions to challenges. I think I have an instinct that there’s always a way forward. Never say no. There’s always some kind of solution to everything. That’s something I was brought up with.
And in this role, there’s an extra layer. If we succeed, it’s not just about solving a customer problem. It’s about contributing to something bigger — a sustainable transport system.
Any advice for someone considering a career in this field?
Financing is a good skill to have. It’s generic, you can take it anywhere. So, if you start in the vehicle industry and decide it’s not for you, you haven’t wasted your time.
But I’d still promote staying in the vehicle industry. Even if you’re in financing, you learn so much from working with people in vehicle sales, services, operations. If you’re outgoing and have big ears, you learn across the complete business.
You meet customers, dealers, distributors. You realize how society works around transportation. It’s a great place to be — from a learning perspective and beyond.
And one more thing: meeting people where they are is key. You might talk to an owner-operator in the morning and a publicly listed bus company in the afternoon. You have to adapt. If they trust you, they’ll trust the solution you propose.
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