Franco-German experts call on EU to prioritize battery-electric trucks

The French Conseil d’analyse économique (CAE) and the Franco-German Council of Economic Experts (GCEE) have published a joint statement calling on the EU to focus on decarbonizing road freight transport by abandoning support for hydrogen trucks. They urge to prioritize battery-electric trucks, which are considered the most viable solution.

Nine experts from the CAE and GCEE have signed an open letter to the EU, reminding the union of its duty to decarbonize road transport, which represents a large part of our total greenhouse gas emissions.

While several alternatives to the current diesel trucks continue to be proposed, both organizations fear that not focusing on a single solution will mean that targets from the Paris Climate Agreement and the European Green Deal will be missed.

Modal shift and optimization only represent marginal gains

The joint statement dives into all of the most likely alternatives to diesel trucks. A modal shift towards trains and ships for local freight transport is quickly ruled out, as most transport takes place over short distances with multiple stops.

Also, not every EU member state has a developed rail infrastructure. Focusing on this would only mean marginal reductions in greenhouse gas emissions: 6% in Germany and less than 2% in France.

Reducing the demand for transportation (also called sobriety) would have a significant impact, but it is not likely. According to research, road transport will only increase by up to 47% between 2015 and 2050.

The optimization of current routes and the use of larger trucks like eco combis, along with technological improvements to lower weight and CO2 emissions, could provide short-term emissions reductions of up to 40%. Still, they will never fully decarbonize road transport.

Hydrogen simply not viable for most road transport

All of this means that the implementation of zero-emission trucks is necessary to achieve net-zero carbon goals. Two primary technologies are on the table: battery-electric and fuel-cell hydrogen trucks. E-fuels are also considered in the paper but do not eliminate local emissions and often create more emissions in their energy-intensive production.

Comparing hydrogen and batteries, the latter quickly comes out as the most likely alternative to diesel for the future. Hydrogen is more expensive and less energy efficient (battery trucks consume up to 50% less energy well-to-wheel), requires more significant infrastructure investments, and needs to be produced sustainably to achieve a real reduction in CO2 compared to diesel. Hydrogen is, therefore, only the preferred solution in niche areas where batteries aren’t viable.

Infrastructure investment needed

That leaves battery-electric trucks as the most viable solution. However, the CAE and GCEE do not ignore the drawbacks: electric trucks are still more expensive to purchase than diesel trucks.

The EU also needs to invest heavily in charging infrastructure along significant transport corridors (with technologies like Megawatt charging to reduce charging times) to improve demand and viability for transporters. With the creation of more charging stations, parking along motorways also needs to be improved due to longer wait times.