Road Freight Transport Electrification Potential by Using Battery Electric Trucks in Finland and Switzerland

Medium and heavy-duty battery electric trucks (BETs) may play a key role in mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from road freight transport. However, technological challenges such as limited range and cargo carrying capacity as well as the required charging time need to be efficiently addressed before the large-scale adoption of BETs. In this study, we apply a geospatial data analysis approach by using a battery electric vehicle potential (BEVPO) model with the datasets of road freight transport surveys for analyzing the potential of large-scale BET adoption in Finland and Switzerland for trucks with gross vehicle weight (GVW) of over 3.5 t. Our results show that trucks with payload capacities up to 30 t have the most potential for electrification by relying on the currently available battery and plug-in charging technology, with 93% (55% tkm) and 89% (84% tkm) trip coverage in Finland and Switzerland, respectively. Electric road systems (ERSs) would be essential for covering 51% trips (41% tkm) of heavy-duty trucks heavier than 30 t in Finland. Furthermore, range-extender technology could improve the trip electrification potential by 3-10 percentage points (4-12 percentage points of tkm).

Automated summary

Battery electric trucks have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in road freight transport, but face challenges such as limited range and cargo capacity. Study findings show that trucks with payload capacities up to 30 tons have the highest potential for electrification, with electric road systems being essential for heavy-duty trucks over 30 tons. Range-extender technology could further improve trip electrification potential.