A new analysis from Transport & Environment reveals that electric trucks have become economically competitive with diesel alternatives across a significant portion of the European Union’s heavy truck market. The study examined nine major EU markets representing 46% of all new heavy trucks sold in the region, finding that electric vehicles offer lower total cost of ownership in six of those markets.
The financial advantages are most pronounced in the Netherlands and Germany, where operators can realize savings of up to €100,000 and €85,000 respectively over a five-year period. In both countries, electric trucks achieve payback within two years of operation. With diesel prices currently elevated, the potential savings climb further to €123,000 and €106,000 in these markets respectively.
The analysis indicates that competition from Chinese and American electric truck manufacturers poses a challenge to European truckmakers. Chinese and US e-trucks are being offered at considerably lower purchase prices than European alternatives, which could translate to additional savings of €34,000 over five years in Germany alone. Transport & Environment contends that this competitive pressure should prompt European manufacturers to accelerate production and scaling of electric trucks to maintain market leadership.
Projections suggest that by 2030, electric trucks could achieve competitive operating costs across all nine analyzed EU countries. The research indicates this outcome is possible even while reducing or phasing out vehicle purchase subsidies, provided policymakers implement complementary measures such as road toll exemptions for electric vehicles and improvements to charging infrastructure.
Transport & Environment has also launched an online tool enabling operators to compare operating costs between electric and diesel trucks across the EU markets and the United Kingdom.
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