A new report from Transport & Environment indicates that electric trucks now offer a lower total cost of ownership in six out of nine major EU markets. These markets represent 46% of all new heavy truck sales within the European Union.
In the Netherlands and Germany, operators can achieve savings of up to €100 000 and €85 000 respectively over a five-year period. Electric trucks in these regions reach their payback point within two years. With current diesel prices, these savings could increase to €123 000 and €106 000.
The report highlights that Chinese and US electric trucks are entering the market at lower purchase prices. In Germany, utilizing these models could lead to an additional €34 000 in savings over five years. T&E urges European manufacturers to scale up production to remain competitive.
Projections suggest that by 2030, electric trucks will be cheaper to operate across all nine analyzed EU countries. This goal remains achievable even if purchase subsidies are reduced, provided that measures like road toll exemptions for electric vehicles are implemented.
T&E emphasizes that European truckmakers should focus on increasing production scale to lower upfront costs rather than seeking regulatory delays. The organization also launched an online tool to compare the costs of electric and diesel trucks across the EU and the UK.
