Electric trucks may soon compete with diesel

Electric trucks will soon be able to compete with diesel vehicles as the development of battery technology advances rapidly. This is stated in a recent study by the Swedish Environmental Institute (SEI). The only major problem that still needs to be solved is charging. After removing this obstacle, nothing should stand in the way of the boarding of electric trucks, added SEI. Greening the transport sector, which accounts for about a quarter of global CO2 emissions, is key to achieving climate goals. According to Reuters, the rapid rise of electric trucks was highly questioned, with high costs being cited as the main reason, especially for the heavy batteries needed for long-distance transport. However, according to SEI researchers, technologies are advancing rapidly in this area. "Battery technologies are very close to the breaking point beyond which electric trucks will be economically competitive. The only thing that remains to be solved is charging," said Björn Nykvist of SEI. A study that assessed, among other things, the weight of the batteries showed that affordable and fast charging would be key, allowing truck batteries to be relatively small and light. According to study co-author Olle Olsson, governments and the private sector should therefore focus on improving the availability of charging infrastructure. "Electric trucks can play an important role in reducing emissions in heavy goods transport," he said. Recent research by Capgemini Invent has also shown that electric trucks belong to a group of 55 clean technologies that should help the European Union meet its goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050.