Current status of the electrification of transport logistic vehicles - Early niche markets and commercialization opportunities

The transport sector heavily depends on fossil fuel to serve its energy needs. In the European Union transport accounts for 63 % of fuel consumption and 29 % of all CO2 emissions. In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollutants in urban areas a transition to local zero emission alternative fuelled vehicles is deemed necessary. The transition for passenger cars is underway. However, the transition for light and heavy transport logistic vehicles transition is currently slow, caused by differences in political prioritization and a lack of fleet operator information about the status of existing electrified logistic vehicles and possible fields of applications. In order to counteract the knowledge gap, this paper aims to summarize the status of electrified transport logistic vehicle technology in terms of vehicle performance. For the purpose of this analysis, a transport logistic vehicle database was developed based on inputs from Austria, Germany, Korea, Turkey, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. In order to identify early niche markets and commercialization opportunities for electrified transport logistic vehicles, country individual experiences of relevant pilot projects were collected and a summary for the countries Austria, Germany, Turkey and the Netherlands is given.