Author: Rafaa Mohammad, March, 2025
1 Definition and History
Road freight logistics offers a pivotal role in the global economy by providing the transportation of goods and services. However, this has become one of the most carbon-intensive sectors that contribute to the greenhouse gas emissions. To meet this global greenhouse challenge. Electric trucks have become of interest as a potential alternative to the road freight vehicle as they are more sustainable and offer an environmental friendly approach in the transportation of logistics. The increasing demand for the logistics directly imposes the dependence of the logistics sector highly on the fossil fuel. Depending highly on the fossil fuel and the carbon emissions related to the them through the internal combustion are the two main global challenges of conventional road logistic vehicles. Globally, the road freight logistics accounts for approximately 24% of all the greenhouse gas emissions, which defines the urgency of sustainability and sustainable solutions within the road freight sector. The transition to green transport is essential to achieve decarbonization of the road freight and mitigate the impacts of the climate change1.
In the logistic transport sector, the electric trucks have become a potential technology which is economically feasible, can offer energy efficient and green alternative to the conventional diesel-powered freight vehicles. The electric trucks are powered by the rechargeable battery system which power the drive shafts that are equipped with the electric motor1.
1.1 History of the delivery vehicles and the evolution of the electric trucks
The history of the electric trucks is connected strongly with the history of the electric cars that are equipped with electrical machines:
In 1827 the Hungarian inventor Benedictine monk Anyos Jedlik built the first crude D.C. electrical concept machine which was equipped with a stator, a rotor and a commutator, within next one year, he used this concept to drive a simple small-scaled car model2.
In 1835, Professor Sibrandus Stratingh from the University of Groningen, built a small scale electric car which weighed about 3 kilograms and could move for 20 minutes with a 1.5 kilograms load with the fully charged cells3.
Scotsman Robert Anderson is the inventor of the first full-scale electric driven carriage, his prototype was built in between 1832 to 1839 in Aberdeen. The prototype used primary cells (non-rechargeable batteries) to generate electrical power and had a top speed of 12 kilometers per hour2.
The first successful commercially produced electric cars were named as Electrobats. The first variant was built in 1894 by the combined efforts of a mechanical engineer and a chemist, Henry G. Morris and Pedro G. Salom in Chicago upon their own patented technologies. The first model was a slow and very heavy car having steel tires. The primary batteries alone weighed over 725 kilograms and the gross weight of the vehicle was about 2 tons, the development and research efforts further improved the Electrobats, the vehicle became lighter, faster and unwieldy. The vehicle had pneumatic tires and were steered by their two rear wheels, which were powered by two 1.1 kW claw pole motors. Due to the state of art batteries during at that time they could travel about 40 kilometers at an average speed of 32 kilometers per hours on a single charge4.
Over 60 years later from 1832, in 1895, the American company Riker Electric Motor Co. New York City began production of two-seater three-wheel trucks up to 5 tons5.
The electric trucks during that time were commonly used in urban areas for the transportation of loads. These vehicles were able to reach the speeds of up to 50 kilometers per hour and a range of 60 kilometers. Since that time such electric vehicles have not been practically used. At the beginning of the 20th century the development of internal combustion engine came into the perspective and the electric powered vehicles and trucks were side lined. In the beginning of the 21st century with the development of electric motors technology, power converters and the better batteries the electric vehicles rose back to demand6.
The electric drive displaces the internal combustion engines from today’s built trucks because of the favorable parameters and no emission of toxic gases into the atmosphere. The electric motors are smaller in size, they have significantly higher torque and the smallest rotational speed, lesser components, do not require frequent service also has the potential of regenerating braking.
1.2 Relevance
Long-haul electric trucks currently have a range of around 500 kilometers but trucks with a range of up to 1000 kilometers will soon be available. For every 100 kilometers driven by an electric truck, between 75-100 kilograms of are saved (average consumption between 35-40 litres/ 100 kilometers) when compared to heavy-duty fossil fueled vehicle, whether CNG or diesel1. The electric transport represents a constantly evolving technology, with advances in battery capacity and charging infrastructure, electric trucks are expected to become increasingly available and high potential in the freight transport market.
1.3 Advantages and disadvantages of electric trucks
1.3.1 Advantages
Reductions in the emissions:
The electric trucks do not produce any direct greenhouse, this contribute to reduction in air pollution and the environmental impact. However the effects on the environment depends on the type of energy used to generate the electricity such as renewable or non-renewable. Overall the electric trucks produce 63% less emissions during their overall lifetime compared to conventional diesel vehicles7.
Low noise pollution: Due to the absence of combustion in the electric motors there is significantly reduction in the noise, which keeps them well suited for urban and residential areas1.Low cost of operation:The electricity is used to recharge the batteries in the electric trucks which cheaper than the conventional fuels such as diesel and petrol, making the electric trucks to lower the operating costs. Electric trucks have fewer moving components which lowers the maintenance.1
High energy conversion efficiency: The electric motors have a high energy conversion efficiency therefore fewer energy losses. Whereas green hydrogen and synthetic fuel have efficiencies of 28% and 20% respectively. Also the fully electric truck is 3 to 5 times more efficient when compared to the other alternatives of zero-carbon emission alternatives.1
The electric trucks do have some limitations and disadvantages
1.3.2 Disadvantages
Range:
One of the major issue with the electric vehicles and the electric trucks is their range. Despite the high conversion efficiency and the performance, the range of the electric trucks is significantly lower than the conventional internal combustion engines as the capacity to store the energy solely depends on the battery, accommodating the bigger batteries will significantly increase the gross weight of the truck as well as reduce the performance of the vehicle. With the current development of batteries with improved energy density it is possible to increase the range and the maintain the performance of the vehicle1.
Charging time:
The second major disadvantage of the electric trucks is the recharging time of their batteries. Depending on the model and type of the electric truck the recharging time of their batteries can take anywhere from 1.5 hours to 7 hours to fully charge, which is a limitation of the batteries used in the electric trucks1.
The charging infrastructure:
It is very important to understand that though the technology is mature, the deployment of the charging infrastructure is still under the development, which is still a disadvantage over the conventional trucks which can refuel immediately when needed. But there a new charging system standard called the MCS- Megawatt charging system standard that will allow the next generation trucks of power of over 1 megawatt to recover the energy in less than 45minutes1.
Cost:
Initial cost of purchase is significantly higher than that of the conventional trucks using internal combustion engines. This is also a limiting factor, but in the coming years there can be competitive price drop and reductions as the infrastructure, market and the demand increases that could match the selling price of a diesel truck1.
1.4 State-of-art of the technology in different countries:
- The electric trucks industry is a moving business and is developing rapidly across the globe1.
- In Europe, the major companies involved in investing and developing the technology are MAN, Volvo, Daimler and Scania which are supported by the strict emission regulations and the charging stations across the European Union. In Spain deployment is under early stages but is progressing quite fast. The fast charging stations are among the emerging technology and the very first in the Mediterranean corridor for zero emission logistic transports has been also launched in collaboration with Disfrimur1.
- On the other hard China is the global leader in the adoption of the electric trucks powered exclusively by the manufacturers like BYD, JAC motors and SANY supported strongly with the government policies and subsidies.
- The United states has adopted the electric trucks and have the exponentially growing market driven by the companies like TESLA, which are supported by the incentives and financial support programs which are accelerating the adoption of the technology1.
- There is significant 38% reduction in the Greenhouse gas emissions when electric trucks are used, despite there being high emissions at the time of the manufacture, the electric trucks can achieve a 38% reduction in the greenhouse gas emissions, this projection aims to reach 63% with the European Union electricity mix of 20308.
2 Economic performance
For a broader context of the electric trucks, this section focuses on the economic performance, analyzing cost structures, the total cost of ownership (TCO) and the investment feasibility. For the adoption of the electric trucks in the freight industry it is important to understand the financial viability of the electric trucks.
2.1 Total cost of Ownership and the cost analysis
Total cost of ownership is a critical metric in understanding and determining the financial viability of the electric trucks compared to the conventional alternatives. TCO includes the capital expenditure (CAPEX), the Operational expenditure (OPEX) and the miscellaneous.
2.2 The Capital expenditure and the cost of the battery
The battery costs significantly effect the overall cost of the electric trucks, according to the literature9.
The light-duty trucks : $225/kWh, The medium-duty trucks : $275/kWh, The heavy-duty trucks : $350/kWh are the common costs of the battery used in different type of the trucks9.
It was found that the total cost of ownership for electric semi-trucks, by considering the factors like initial investment, operating costs and upfront battery replacements can result in a payback period of 3 to 5 years10.
The prices of the battery are projected to decrease as the demand increases with the improvement in the technology which will potentially keep the electric trucks in the stage to compete directly with the conventional diesel trucks by 2030-2035 11.
2.3 The operational costs and fuel savings
Electric trucks are much cheaper in terms of operational costs as the energy consumed is electricity which is potentially cheaper than the diesel.
The electricity costs are $0.20 to $0.40 per mile lower than diesel9.
The maintenance cost of the electric trucks is 50% lower than the diesel trucks, which in overall decreases the operational costs of the electric trucks9.
2.4 TCO Comparison with diesel trucks:
The electric trucks have a higher purchasing cost but due to its lower long-term expenses coming from the low maintenance cost, low operational cost, less need for frequent service, less moving components significantly reduces the wear and tear which decreases the ultimate and strict deadline for the maintenance and the maintenance cost compared to the conventional diesel trucks12.
Investment feasibility and Break even Analysis:
For the electric trucks the investment feasibility depends on the costs of the battery, costs of the infrastructure, government incentives and the expected return on investment.
Break-even point estimates:
The break-even point for electric trucks varies by the categories of the trucks. Such as the light-duty trucks are expected to reach the cost parity by 2025, medium-duty trucks by 2030 and the heavy duty trucks by 203511.
2.5 Infrastructure and charging investment:
The adoption of electric trucks totally depends on the development and deployment of the charging infrastructure.
Some initiatives like MCS and eHighways stand at the forefront for the deployment and the adoption of the electric trucks9. MCS stands for megawatt charging systems which aims to reduce the charging time of the trucks having the rated power of over 1 megawatt, which has the potential to improve the economic performance9. [https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/2/429]
eHighways uses a in-motion wireless power transfer systems (WPT) also known as dynamic wireless power transfer (DWPT) systems, vehicles get charged in the motion through multiple sets of coils and accessories embedded along the road. This technology uses inductive coupling to transfer power from transmitters in the road to vehicle-side receivers12.
Investment in the electrified highways has the potential to offer an alternative which reduces the battery size requirements that can improve the cost effectiveness with usage.
2.6 Government incentives, policy and future outlook:
The involvement of government incentives and policies play an important role in adoption of the electric trucks by them financially affordable and available to the key operators of the fleet.
The governments globally provide incentives to the customers on purchase, tax credits and subsidies to cut down the initial investment cost for the electric vehicles, one such example is in the European Union policies which encourages by direct financial support and reduced road tolls for zero emission vehicles12 also, in United states federal and state level incentives are offered for the electric trucks in the commercial use which also include rebates on battery costs12.
Emission Regulations:
The emission reduction mandates with strict carbon pricing mechanisms are forcing the logistic companies into a transition towards a greener alternative. In the European union’s fit for 55 package and California’s Advanced clean trucks regulation are ambitious goals to eliminate the conventional diesel powered logistic transport in full favor of electrified green alternatives12.
On a whole electric trucks are in a way of approaching economic feasibility with the decreasing cost of the battery and the lower operational costs which improves and makes them potential competitors against the diesel trucks, though the initial investment remains high, the cost parity particularly for light and medium duty trucks is expected between 2030-2035.
3 Ecological performance
To consider a technology sustainable and environmental friendly one of the critical aspect is the ecological performance, likewise for the electric trucks to be called sustainable over the diesel and the alternative conventional trucks ecological performance is one such metric that evaluates their environmental impact considering the emissions, lifecycle environmental effects and resource utilization.
3.1 Improved air quality and reduction in the C02 emissions
The electric trucks are considered as an alternative to the significantly dominating diesel-trucks because they reduce the greenhouse gas emissions over their lifecycle. They produce 50% less emissions than diesel trucks this is primarily due to their high dependency on electricity instead of conventional fuels such as diesel13.
Additionally electric trucks contribute to the improvement of the air quality by eliminating the emissions that are commonly observed in the diesel based trucks that have exhausts to emit the gases to the atmosphere, One of the major source of nitrogen oxides ( ) and the particulate matter are the critical impurities released through the diesel based trucks. These critical impurities are eliminated through electric trucks thereby reducing the respiratory diseases and improving public health14.
3.2 Energy efficiency and Resource utilization
The electric trucks have higher energy efficiency compared to that of diesel engines. The battery electric trucks can achieve an energy conversion efficiency of over 77% compared to the diesel trucks which reach (35-40%)15. This demonstrates the major point for the electric trucks to be feasible in the coming future.
3.3 Ecological lifecycle impacts:
The emissions and environmental impact coming from the electric trucks are not same as the diesel trucks. There are several factors on which the lifecycle and environmental factors lie on, such as material extraction, production and manufacturing, Operation, maintenance, end of life management.
Material extraction14: Diesel trucks: Crude oil is extracted further producing diesel which in turn leads to high emissions.
Electric trucks : They store energy in the batteries, batteries require lithium, cobalt, nickel etc. These materials are extracted by mining which develops concerns on the supply chain and the sustainability.
Production and Manufacturing14:Diesel trucks: The energy intensity is low but produces high under operation of combustion and exhaust gases.Electric trucks: For the production of the battery the energy required is higher and there are several harmful toxins released during the production but the overall emissions throughout the lifecycle are lesser than the diesel trucks.
Operation14:Diesel trucks: while operating these trucks release high content of and through the exhaust as the end product of combustion in the engine. Electric trucks: There are no emissions during the operation of these trucks because the trucks are charged on electricity hence this emissions depend on the electricity grid carbon intensity.
Maintenance14:Diesel trucks: Usually requires regular service and checkups on the engines and exhaust systems as they get exposed to high heat coming from the combustion inside the engine, also requires oil changing and adding synthetic additives for better performance of the engine. Electric trucks: There is no engine, which reduces the moving parts, there is requirement of lubrication in the motor hubs once in a while which lowers the maintenance costs and the total emissions.
End-of-life management14: Diesel trucks: The materials used for the manufacturing of the chassis can be fully recovered, but there is a limited recycling potential in the engine components
Electric trucks: The materials used for the manufacturing of the chassis can be recovered at the end of life but the battery recycling industry is still growing and the infrastructure is currently limited. Also there is a risk of emissions at the end of life from the batteries which remains a concern.
The emissions in the countries where the share of renewable energy is very high the electric trucks tend of achieve emissions reduction by 80% throughout their lifecycle.
But however, In the countries where the fossil fuel are dominant for the production of electricity the reductions from the electric trucks is not as much as achieved in the countries with electricity produced renewable energy16.
Battery Degradation and replacement: One of the major concerns with the electric trucks is with the battery degradation, as the battery is used over numerous cycles at some point it starts to lose its state of health leading to the degradation, this leads to increased operational costs due to the decreased efficiency and the need to replace the battery. By opting for control strategies can manage these costs by balancing the charge and discharge cycles for longevity of the battery17.
4 The Social Impacts of the electric trucks:
The social impact of the electric trucks is something that makes a difference in the society with the inclusion of the technology. Such impacts are beyond the environmental benefits and influence the job creation, acceptance of the society, public health and so on.
4.1 Job and industry transformation
As a technology develops and dominates the significantly mature technology. It also impacts in the job market and it is expect to create the new employment opportunities. These opportunities can be in the production of battery, charging infrastructure, maintenance, marketing, other technical and information related services. Though the electric trucks create the possibility of new employment there will be significant drop in the traditional jobs in the diesel engine related field. The decrease in the demand of the diesel trucks would decrease the demand in the manufacturing effecting in the job layoffs. The manufacturing and maintenance may decline, this will lead to start the companies to start some programs to retrain the professionals in the service and maintenance field to support them14.
Public health:
The diesel trucks are known to make noise pollution and also air pollution, which is not suitable for the environment. The electric trucks offer low noise pollution and do not offer air pollution under operation. The noise pollution levels from the electric trucks are 30-40% lower thank diesel trucks, which is proven to improve the quality of life and reducing the stress related illness in the urban and residential area15.
4.2 Acceptance of the society:
The conventional trucks offer better range, lower initial investment costs and have greater readiness of the maintenance infrastructure. The acceptance of the electric trucks by the user remains a challenge till date as the reports18 suggest that the logistics companies have expressed major concerns about the upfront investment costs, range anxiety, the readiness of maintenance and charging infrastructure despite knowing the long term savings.
Political and Legal Aspects of the electric trucks: To meet the needs of increasing pollution and the emissions, the governments across the world are implementing policies and standards that are to be implemented and play a crucial role in reducing the greenhouse gas emissions.
The European union has set targets of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and emissions by 45% by 2030, followed by 65% by 2035 and finally 90% by 204016.
Similarly such policies are also adopted by the other countries such as the United states and China which aim to accelerate the transition of net zero emission from freight transport.
In India, PM E-Bus Sewa-Payment security Mechanism(PSM) scheme is a two year scheme introduced in 2024, with an outlay of 393million euros(3435.33 crore rupees) to support the deployment of over 38000 electric buses. The aim of this scheme is to provide payment security to e-bus operators in case of default by Public transport authorities19.
In Japan, the government has the commitment to electrify heavy duty vehicles. The government has set a target to introduce 5000 heavy duty vehicles by 2030. The government has allocated JPY 13.6billionc(USD 120million) to electrify the transportation sector20.
6 Conclusion
The potential gains over the diesel trucks in terms of the effects such as environment, economy, society, the electric trucks have shown a significant shift in the freight transportation sector. The primary metric to define the ecological performance is the low emissions , reduced air pollutions and better energy efficiency. From the studies it has been observed that the electric trucks have the potential to reduce the emissions by up to 50% than the regular diesel truck followed by their high energy conversion efficiency of 77% which keep them competitive in the list of the alternative options in the freight transportation sector.
But the technology comes with he challenges of sourcing the materials for battery production and major concern of the environmental impact of the battery disposal.
From a societal perspective, the electric trucks contribute to reduced air pollutions, noise pollutions resulting in improved public health by eliminating the stress-related illness caused by sound and air pollution.
Coming to the user acceptance, it varies from user to user, because of the concerns raised by the potential users in terms of the initial investment cost, range anxiety and the infrastructure for maintenance and charging the battery, this influences the adoptions rates among the freight operators.
From the legal and political perspective the governments are introducing and implementing strict policies and regulations to reduce the emissions and promoting the adoption of the electric trucks. The European Union setting targets of reducing emissions by 45% in 2030 to 90% by 2040 for the heavy vehicles is one such measure to promote the adoption of the electric trucks, the footsteps are also being adopted by the countries like China, US and other developing countries depending on electricity from renewable energy.
Overall, the transition from the diesel trucks to the electric trucks is definitely characterized in a combination of technological progress, environmental benefits, social impacts, legal support, and market challenges. The future prospects of completely adopting the electric trucks depends on the advanced infrastructure of the charging and maintenance stations, battery capacity and technology and followed by the alignment of the policy making and regulations.
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