With the spectacular development of battery technology, the battery-electric vehicle on the road can make a cost-effective and substantial contribution. Moreover, increasingly stringent regulations and the growing pressure for sustainability are forcing the logistics sector to think again.
Truck manufacturers are also giving a clear signal that the pioneering phase is over and they are taking their first steps towards series production. Battery technology is becoming increasingly powerful, so that heavy-duty battery-electric trucks with a driving range of several hundred kilometres are already a reality. Partly due to the favourable price development, this technology has a good chance of a relatively quick breakthrough. At the same time, “gigantic factories” are rapidly being set up in Europe for the production of batteries. It is not only the major truck manufacturers that are offering electric versions of their vehicles; newcomers are also competing for the electrification of freight transport.
Goals
To prepare the Flemish transport sector for the application of battery technology to achieve emission-free goods transport by road.
In Logibat, VIL investigated what the operational and economic conditions are to make battery-electric transport feasible and what the requirements are to roll out a nationwide charging network, both at shippers and depots and at (semi-)public stops. For the new business models emerging in this ecosystem, the role of the logistics companies as providers of charging infrastructure is explored. In addition, the potential for Catenary Solution in Road Systems within Flanders has also been studied.