(Getty Images / Sjo)Like a Formula 1 car.
The mobility sector has once again missed its climate targets. Around 20 percent of traffic emissions come from diesel trucks, as the Federal Environment Agency states. Electric trucks could make a decisive contribution to achieving the 1.5 degree target.
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Electric drive in everyday truck life: A difficult connection
The switch to electromobility is anything but easy: a truck driver’s everyday work is currently only partially compatible with an electric drive. Let’s imagine that he is driving his electric truck along the B36, a country road from Karlsruhe towards the east. Suddenly he notices how the battery indicator is rapidly decreasing as he climbs the slope. The green light bar on the dashboard changes from calming green to yellow alarm before finally turning orange. The next rest area with a charging station is a good 100 kilometers away – the typical distance between the pillars.
When he arrives at the planned loading location, he is frustrated: another truck is blocking the only available loading unit. While a quick charge at a high-power charging station can top up the battery in about 30 minutes to an hour to achieve 200 to 300 kilometers of range, a normal charge takes a painful 6 to 12 hours. For the driver, this working day will be longer and more challenging than ever before.
Charging stations represent the biggest hurdle
The charging station infrastructure represents a significant problem. Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) emphasizes that comprehensive planning and expansion of the power grid are necessary to meet the increasing demand for electric trucks.
There are currently fewer than 300 public charging points for electric trucks in Germany, as reported by the National Control Center for Charging Infrastructure. A study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research shows that around 2,000 truck charging points would be needed by 2030 to enable smooth long-distance transport with electric trucks without long waiting times.
However, until this challenge has been overcome, there is a promising alternative: quickly replacing empty batteries with full ones. This could save drivers valuable time instead of spending hours charging their vehicles.
Pit stop strategy like in Formula 1 as a solution
The concept is not new: The American start-up Ample Inc. from San Francisco has already installed several robot-controlled battery changing stations in the Bay Area and Europe. These stations allow empty batteries to be replaced with charged ones in around five minutes – but currently only for cars. What the market urgently needs is a pit stop for trucks, similar to Formula 1. Always available, fast and reliable, like a power bank. But what does a power bank look like that can charge not an average smartphone measuring 15 x 7 centimeters, but an 18 meter long truck?
The American company Tual recently introduced its replaceable power bank for heavy-duty electric vehicles. According to the company, this can also be changed in less than five minutes and is compatible with various truck platforms.
The power banks with 120 kWh and 180 kWh capacity can extend the range by up to 193 kilometers. This portable but costly solution adds to the already high purchase cost of an electric truck.
Diesel or electric – which is more economical?
Electric trucks are generally more expensive to purchase than their diesel counterparts. The electromobility magazine Electrive illustrates this difference using two comparable Mercedes-Benz models: the diesel Actros 1845 LS and the battery-powered eActros 300. Both models have a load capacity of around 18 tons and similar engine power. However, the E model can only travel 300 km on a single battery charge and costs between 300,000 and 400,000 euros. In comparison, the diesel has a range of up to 1,500 km and costs a maximum of 130,000 euros.
Since 2021, the federal government has been supporting the “promotion of light and heavy commercial vehicles with alternative, climate-friendly drives”. According to the guidelines of this program, up to 80 percent of the costs can be covered. This applies to both the purchase costs of the electric trucks and the necessary infrastructure, such as charging facilities. Costs for integrating the vehicles into existing fleets or training can also be taken into account.
In addition, high acquisition costs are not the same as high operating costs. According to Thomas Pietsch, spokesman for the truck manufacturer MAN, an e-truck that travels between 60,000 and 100,000 kilometers annually can save up to 30,000 euros in operating costs.
Power banks as interim solutions
Nevertheless, companies remain skeptical. Philipp Radtke, senior partner at McKinsey, explains: “Under the current conditions, battery-electric trucks must be no more than 30 percent more expensive to purchase in order to be attractive to customers in terms of total operating costs.”
However, a study by the auditing firm PwC shows that electric trucks could largely displace their diesel counterparts from the roads by 2040. By then, 90 percent of the world’s trucks and buses could be battery-electric. According to the study, the range of electric trucks will also increase to up to 900 kilometers. In addition, charging speeds are expected to triple and prices will fall.
Despite these positive developments, an expansion of the charging infrastructure is essential before 2040. In the meantime, replacement batteries such as power banks can serve as practical bridging aids
