Green Trucking around the world
Achieving a zero-emissions global trucking industry by 2050 may seem daunting today but several partnerships between truck OEMs and other logistics stakeholders are currently underway to help transporters achieve green compliance affordably, including electric trailer technologies for long-haul applications and hydrogen-powered trucks for medium-haul distribution.
There is a universal understanding within the logistics industry that truck transport’s transition to zero emissions will be an incremental process as fleets weigh capital investment in green technologies against current business profitability. In essence, what commercial truck fleets require to remain in the game is scalable solutions that work in unison with diesel trucks, eventually leading to zero-emissions operations.
In this article, FleetWatch correspondent Paul Collings takes a look at what some leading OEMs and their partners in Europe and North America are doing in the quest for ‘clean trucking’.
JOST joins Trailer Dynamics in the development of e-trailer technology
Imagine an electric drivetrain housed in the truck-trailer which makes the e-trailer compatible with any truck-tractor unit. JOST (JOST Werke SE) is investing EUR15-million (R298-million) in start-up Trailer Dynamics GmbH to strengthen its activities in e-trailer development.
According to Joachim Dürr, CEO of JOST: “Trailer Dynamics has developed a comprehensive and unique solution for reducing diesel consumption for long-haul diesel trucks or, increasing the range of battery-electric truck-tractor units (BEV), by installing an electric drivetrain in its ‘eTrailer’.
“The electric drive permanently supports the tractor unit’s diesel drive over the entire route including when starts and inclines are negotiated. The eTrailer’s electric-assist drive significantly reduces CO2 emissions from diesel truck-tractors and boosts the operational range of battery-electric trucks, adapting dynamically to the cargo weight and route topography.
“Trailer dynamics’ eTrailer also provides significant savings in diesel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in combination with conventional towing vehicles. This dual approach provides a versatile solution to greener transportation, aligning with global sustainability goals.”
After many international test drives in real-life operation, over 6 000 customer reservations have already been made for the eTrailer.
Michael W. Nimtsch co-founder and CFO of Trailer Dynamics states: “Combining our ground-breaking e-trailer technology with the expertise of an established industry leader like JOST is a significant step to further develop our products and systems and increase our contribution to zero-emissions transport.”
For Dürr, “the transport and logistics industry needs innovative solutions to become climate-neutral while further increasing the economic efficiency of the industry. The strategic investment in Trailer Dynamics offers JOST attractive cooperation opportunities to jointly develop new products and solutions to drive the decarbonisation of our society.”
Thermo King and Range Energy collaborate on electric refrigerated trailers
No component in the truck and trailer combination slips past achieving ‘climate neutral’ status, including reefers and their cooling units. Thermo King and Range Energy have announced a strategic collaboration to integrate an electric trailer platform with hybrid and electric trailer refrigeration units to advance the commercial adoption of electric refrigerated trailers in the Americas.
“Accelerating the commercial adoption of electric trailers is essential to helping fleet owners and operators meet emerging emissions reduction goals and mandates,” says Ali Javidan, CEO and founder of Range Energy (Range).
Thermo King and Range Energy are collaborating on advancing electric refrigerated trailers which will help fleet owners and operators meet emerging emissions reduction goals and mandates.
Thermo King and Range Energy are collaborating on advancing electric refrigerated trailers which will help fleet owners and operators meet emerging emissions reduction goals and mandates.
“Working with Thermo King to advance electric refrigerated trailers marks significant progress in the electrification of commercial trucking, providing a near-term and pragmatic solution for fleets of today and tomorrow,” he states.
The integration process will include extensive testing, customer pilots and the public demonstration of an electric refrigerated trailer, adds Javidan.
For Chris Tanaka, vice president product management at Thermo King Americas, the collaboration with Range promises benefits for cold-chain fleet customers and the environment: “Integrating our products with innovative technologies like Range’s electric trailer platform can help us deliver more efficient and reliable transportation solutions while keeping transported food and perishables safe and fresh.
“Range is also an early mover in trailer electrification and we believe this partnership has the potential to contribute significantly to the acceleration of our industry’s decarbonisation efforts.”
Lidl France gets its first hydrogen-powered heavy-duty food delivery truck
Leading European retail chain Lidl has partnered with green hydrogen supplier Lhyfe and transport operator Jacky Perrenot Group to deploy the first clean hydrogen-powered heavy-duty food delivery vehicle in France. The truck is a Hyundai Xcient FuelCell 6×2 rigid with a refrigerated body.
The green Lidl truck has been operating since the beginning of 2024. It is managed by fleet operator Jacky Perrenot at Europe’s first green hydrogen-powered logistics platform (distribution hub) in Carquefou.
The hydrogen-powered truck delivers to Lidl supermarkets in the Nantes region, marking a first in the French haulage landscape, says Xavier Pierre, head of Transport and Environment at Lidl: “This first new-generation 26-tonne truck is fitted with a 180kW fuel cell system and has a range of 400 kilometres. It will refuel at the multi-energy station in La Roche-sur-Yon, which opened in December 2021 and will be supplied with 100% renewable green hydrogen by Lhyfe.”
The Lidl green hydrogen fuel cell delivery truck has a payload potential of 16 tons, a range of 400 kilometres and takes under 15 minutes to refill.
The Lidl green hydrogen fuel cell delivery truck has a payload potential of 16 tons, a range of 400 kilometres and takes under 15 minutes to refill.
The environmental collaboration between Lidl and Jacky Perrenot has resulted in the annual renewal of part of the supermarket chain’s fleet with alternative energy vehicles. The first all-electric deliveries began in 2021. The green hydrogen-powered Hyundai Xcient FuelCell marks a new stage in the commitment between the two players, adds Pierre.
In 2021, Lhyfe inaugurated the first industrial-scale green hydrogen production plant in the world to be interconnected with a wind farm. In 2022, the company launched the first offshore green hydrogen production pilot platform in the world. In 2023, it opened its second and third sites and currently has several sites under construction or expansion across Europe.
“We’re proud to have put this first green hydrogen vehicle on the road. It represents a significant step forward in our commitment to energy transition. Lidl’s collaboration with Lhyfe and the Jacky Perrenot Group is a concrete example of our desire to work with partners who share our values and ambition,” Pierre concludes.
Green fleet transition insights from Mercedes-Benz Trucks and Große-Vehne
The transition of a large truck fleet to alternative-drive vehicles will necessarily take place in stages due to the need of the operator to first gather experience before taking the next steps. So says Christoph Forcher, eConsultant at Mercedes-Benz Trucks, who is assisting customer Große-Vehne integrate eActros derivatives into its fleet of over 1 000 trucks.
According to René Große-Vehne, managing director of GV Management: “The success of the fleet transition to alternative-drive trucks depends on numerous conditions being fulfilled. Alongside a suitable range of vehicles, appropriate grid capacity and charging infrastructure are imperative. And, deployment of electric vehicles must be worthwhile; there must be cost parity with diesel trucks.
Collaboration on green trucking pilot projects – A Große-Vehne eActros 300 delivers parts to a Mercedes-Benz production line.
Collaboration on green trucking pilot projects – A Große-Vehne eActros 300 delivers parts to a Mercedes-Benz production line. Mercedes-Benz Trucks customer Große-Vehne is actively pushing the drive transition forward
“It is essential to trial several alternative technologies – not only batteries but also hydrogen drives, for example. One characteristic of electromobility is that it not only depends on the right vehicle for the purpose but also on the charging infrastructure as well as energy generation and storage.”
Große-Vehne currently fields two eActros 300 battery-electric trucks to service its automotive customers (including Mercedes-Benz production plants) and plans to add the eActros 600 and the hydrogen-powered GenH2 Truck from Mercedes-Benz for long-distance applications.
“We’re experiencing growing interest in environmentally-friendly logistics services on the part of our customers who are, or will be, subject to reporting obligations under the new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) rules. They will need to document the measures they intend to take to reduce their CO2 emissions. In this context, they are also paying greater attention to logistics,” explains Große-Vehne.
Große-Vehne, under the operating banner of GV Trucknet, has been fully CO2-neutral since 2018. To compensate for the CO2 emissions that have been unavoidable to date, the corporate group will have planted a million trees by the end of 2024, says René Große-Vehne.
“We would like more federal support for the transportation and logistics sector on the way to climate neutrality. One aspect would be the building up of a nationwide charging and filling infrastructure. If we are promoting electrification it will also be necessary to build up the infrastructure, otherwise it won’t work,” concludes Große-Vehne.
From FleetWatch’s perspective, there’s no stopping the wheels of progress when it comes to clean energy, green transport and climate compliance. Corporate enterprises with deep pockets may be investing in clean trucking in Europe, the Americas and South Africa, but their success will depend on the full support of their respective governments to not only help create the necessary green energy infrastructures, but also to regulate net-zero policies in a manner that enables operator-friendly fleet transition and equitable compliance processes.
