E-trucks are on their way

E-mobility is reaching our streets, that much is clear – and freight transport is no exception. A multitude of stakeholders are driving electrification here – with manufacturers and transport companies leading the way. Policymakers, too, have already sent important signals, notably via fleet limit values for heavy-duty commercial vehicles and the CO2-differentiated truck toll. However, the rollout of these technologies still faces roadblocks and challenges – particularly affecting the charging infrastructure. How can these obstacles be overcome? With its various projects, the Oeko-Institut is showing the way.

Electric road freight transport pays off – not only for the climate. A conversation with Florian Hacker, a Senior Researcher at the Oeko-Institut and Deputy Head of its Resources and Transport Division, reveals that e-trucks offer great benefits for drivers as well. “It’s a very different workplace compared to a truck with a combustion engine, especially as regards background noise and vibration. I’ve spoken to many drivers who say: ‘It’s only now that we see how physically stressful the other ones were’.” An e-truck is also a far more modern working environment. “This particularly appeals to younger people, and in an industry that is struggling with a major shortage of drivers, this is a great competitive advantage that is actively used in recruitment.” And as Florian Hacker emphasises, e-mobility works over long distances as well. “These days, the trucks have a range of up to 600 kilometres. At a speed of 80 km/h, this would normally include a mandatory break before the journey ends, and that’s an opportunity to charge the battery.”

The challenges for e-mobility in long-distance road freight transport mainly relate to the charging infrastructure. “Apart from that, there is already a shortage of parking facilities along the motorways, so it’s important to create additional sites here,” says Florian Hacker. However, appropriate infrastructure is also required in the depots where the trucks are parked and – ideally – charged overnight. “Establishing the infrastructure is feasible, of course, and anyone opting to generate their own power using photovoltaics can make considerable savings here. But first, they need to have a substantial amount of cash to hand to set up the system – and that’s often extremely challenging, particularly for small companies.” It also requires a grid connection with adequate capacity – which is an additional hurdle. “The charging stations for e-trucks need a far higher power output than those used to charge passenger cars. Installing them can take quite some time because the process is far more complex and costly than for a domestic grid connection, and there are currently long lead-in times.” That’s why forward planning of grid expansion is important, as is creating transparency about available grid capacity. “And the procedures for connecting to the grid must be simplified and accelerated as a matter of urgency at the same time.”

Heavy-duty trucks, small businesses, faster expansion

Low-emission vehicles and the required energy supply infrastructure have already received support from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport in recent years. The corresponding funding programme under the KsNI funding guideline was evaluated by the Oeko-Institut in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI and aproxima Gesellschaft für Markt- und Sozialforschung Weimar mbH. “The evaluation found that thanks in part to the funding, far more low-emission trucks were registered – the number increased from around 9,600 vehicles in 2020 to more than 22,000 in 2023. The funding undoubtedly led to an early market ramp-up for e-trucks,” says Florian Hacker. “At the same time, we recognised that more targeted funding will be needed in future, with a focus on heavy-duty vehicles, prioritising support for small and medium-sized companies and accelerating the expansion of infrastructure.”

The practical test

Researchers from the Oeko-Institut were able to gain a very focused insight into companies’ reality in the research project “Supporting research on the use of battery-powered heavy-duty vehicles in day-to-day logistics operations – ELV-Live”. “Previously, the concrete effects of the use of e-trucks in practice and the need for charging infrastructure had not been investigated. So we monitored various areas of application and companies and the practical suitability of battery electric trucks over several years,” Florian Hacker explains. “We also analysed the level of acceptance among companies and customers and looked at how things stand with regard to technical feasibility and economic viability.” The project team also surveyed numerous manufacturers, including DAF, Daimler Truck and Volvo Group Trucks, about their product strategies.

The project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), reveals that all the manufacturers surveyed are predicting the future dominance of battery electric trucks in road freight transport. There is also a high level of consensus within the industry on the challenges that lie ahead. “These mainly relate to reliable long-term frameworks and infrastructure,” says Senior Researcher Florian Hacker. Here, too, it is apparent that the transformation puts heavy pressure on small transport companies in particular and that they need advice and support. “We also found that large logistics companies are already thinking about models of cooperation that enable subcontractors to access their infrastructure.”

The charging of e-trucks in logistics depots was analysed in a further study, titled “Truck depot charging”, conducted by the Oeko-Institut and the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI on behalf of the environmental organisation Transport & Environment (T&E). Depot charging is a key lever for decarbonising road freight transport. Around 40 to 50 per cent of heavy trucks drive less than 300 kilometres a day. These distances can easily be covered with night-time charging at the truck depot. “Currently, however, there is a severe shortage of data on the depots, grid connections and space restrictions, and therefore on the available potential of depot charging. That needs to change as a matter of urgency,” says Florian Hacker. In the study, the researchers looked at e-trucks in Germany, France, Spain and the United Kingdom and conclude that the problem of grid connection is not unique to Germany. However, what is lacking, in addition, is reliable, publicly accessible information on available grid connection capacity. The study also highlights the difficulties faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which dominate the transport sector with a share of 70 to 80 per cent. “They are far less able to cushion investment risks than large logistics companies, as their businesses have lower margins, uncertain contractual situations and often a lack of access to depots.” The project team therefore recommends setting up funding programmes with simple application procedures and practical information services specifically for SMEs. “Unless we support them, they will cease to be competitive within a few years.”

Depots in the capital

Depot charging is a valuable resource, as the specific example of the state of Berlin reveals. Berlin Partner für Wirtschaft und Technologie GmbH approached us and asked what the switch to electric freight transport means in terms of infrastructure – specifically, what the level of demand will be, and where, and what practical action Berlin can take to establish suitable charging options.” The project team, which also includes the Reiner Lemoine Institute, projects that around 3,300 battery electric trucks will be registered in Berlin and surrounding area by 2030, rising to between 20,000 and 26,000 by 2045, with a total electricity demand of 395-430 gigawatt-hours per year by 2045. “We assume that most of the charging demand will be met outside Berlin; however, publicly accessible charging hubs will also be required,” says Florian Hacker. How can a charging infrastructure be established successfully? The analysis, which forms part of the “Electric Commercial Vehicle Study for the State of Berlin”, identifies 23 recommendations for practical support measures. “Here too, depot charging is the preferred option, so this – along with grid connection for SMEs – should continue to receive financial support. However, some transport companies are reliant on publicly accessible charging points – and providing these in an urban setting is a challenge.” Another sensible move, he says, is to promote cooperation with companies, expand the provision of information about the charging infrastructure for heavy-duty commercial vehicles, and intensify cooperation with the state of Brandenburg. Baseline data and research on the use of the charging infrastructure should also be expanded. Only on this basis is it possible to plan ahead and thus avoid not only obstacles in the development of e-mobility but also an uneconomical oversupply.

A steady hand on the wheel

As well as infrastructure and support for SMEs, policy frameworks are a key factor in the expansion of electric freight transport, says Florian Hacker. “In our conversations with manufacturers, we repeatedly heard that the EU’s strict carbon emission standards were the trigger for technological change. Regulation had a very powerful effect. What we need now are reliable long-term frameworks.” Change can happen very quickly. “Vehicles that do a lot of mileage are generally replaced after four years, by which time they have clocked up half a million kilometres.” And there are many potential beneficiaries of the switch to e-trucks. They include companies that are already investing in zero-emission transport, but also the climate and, not least, the drivers whose job it is to ensure, day after day, that goods reach wherever they are needed.

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Florian Hacker works on sustainable mobility through various lenses. His key focus of research includes alternative propulsion technologies and fuels, and electrification of passenger cars and heavy-duty vehicles. A graduate in Geoecology, he is the Deputy Head of the Oeko-Institut’s Resources and Transport Division.