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Will electric trucks be cheaper than diesel ones in seven years?

In 2030, the operating costs of electric trucks will be lower than those with diesel engines, and this is without any government subsidies, according to the report “Challenges and opportunities for the electrification of road freight transport in Poland” prepared by Deloitte.

By 2030, the total cost of battery-powered trucks will be lower than diesel, and in 2040, hydrogen-powered cars will also be more competitive than cars with diesel engines,” said Yulia Patorska, associate partner at Deloitte.

The authors of the report emphasize that the operating costs of medium-sized trucks (up to 12 tons) running on batteries are already close to their diesel counterparts.

Jacek Miziak, senior adviser to FPPE, argues that there is no need to subsidize the purchase of trucks for this category of vehicles.

He emphasizes that on local routes, in the first years of the development of electric mobility, in fact, there is enough infrastructure for charging at the point of loading and unloading, and their network on highways and expressways is not so necessary. In the case of heavier cars (over 12 tons) “in order to move something, it is necessary to introduce auxiliary tools.

A wide range of help is needed

The FPPE report highlights that countries advanced in terms of electrification, such as Germany, the Netherlands and France, have used different mechanisms to support owners of electric trucks. Germany used three instruments, while France and the Netherlands used four.

In Germany, these were: a vehicle purchase subsidy, an infrastructure development strategy, and operating benefits (such as toll exemptions and access to designated areas).

In addition to the above, tax incentives were also applied in the Netherlands.

In France, owners of electric trucks could count on subsidies for the purchase of a vehicle, tax benefits, simplification of operation, as well as subsidies for investments in charging stations.

The European Commission’s latest proposal from February this year calls for average emissions from new trucks to be cut by 45 percent from 2030, 65 percent from 2035 and 90 percent from 2040.

These proposals are likely to become mandatory by the end of the year binding goals.