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Hardly any other industry is facing the challenges of a sustainable economy as much as the automotive industry. It is therefore not surprising that truck manufacturers are also working diligently on the transition. What opportunities does this present for logistics?
Everyone has been talking about climate change and global warming, and not just since Fridays for Future . It is no longer a secret that combustion engines account for a large proportion of greenhouse gas emissions. In times of an increasingly interconnected global economy and constantly growing transport volumes, the logistics industry must also ask itself the question of climate compatibility. With electric trucks soon to go into series production, is the big change on the horizon?
The global players from Volkswagen, General Motors, Volvo and Co. have recognized the signs of the times Pioneers such as Tesla from the technology genius and billionaire Elon Musk are already demonstrating today that it is possible to dispense with combustion engines completely.
The market leaders have set themselves different time frames and milestones. In all likelihood, however, only electric cars will be launched on the market from the middle of the next decade.
The commercial vehicle industry is not quite as fast. The changeover for passenger cars is much easier, as trucks are used much more intensively in comparison. They cover much longer distances and carry much heavier loads. This is why electric motors in transport vehicles have so far quickly reached their limits. However, progress in the development of electric motors and batteries could provide a remedy here.
However, the problem of range and performance does not necessarily have to be solved by larger batteries. Continental and Siemens, for example, are working on a completely different solution that is already familiar from rail transportation: the overhead line. The idea behind this is to supply the truck with new energy while it is on the move.
It remains to be seen whether what trains and streetcars have long known will soon become reality on the highway. What is certain, however, is that the future of the automotive industry lies in electric motors. The competition for leadership in the field of e-mobility is no longer limited to products for private customers.
Despite the technology's lead in electric cars, the commercial vehicle industry is also on target. Five major European truck manufacturers have committed to completely abandoning combustion engines. For example, both Scania and Volvo have announced that they will generate half of their turnover from the sale of electric trucks by 2030. The Germans at MAN are even going one step further: they want to have switched to 60% electric engines by this time.
Meanwhile, European manufacturers are also facing competition from Tesla. The Americans are planning to launch their Semi model soon. The e-truck should be able to cover up to 800 kilometers and have around 20% lower operating costs than a diesel truck. Whether and when it will be launched on the market has not yet been finalized. What is certain, however, is that the traditional industry giants are under pressure to act.
But all that glitters is not necessarily gold, as a US company proved in the middle of the year. After it emerged that e-truck manufacturer Nikola had possibly cheated when presenting the progress of its own products, Managing Director Trevor Milton resigned from his post for the time being. There are currently suspicions that Nikola's economic and technological aspects have been embellished in order to manipulate the company's stock market value. This shows that the market is fiercely competitive and that competition is sometimes fierce.
Liechtensteinische Post AG is already demonstrating how transport vehicles can be charged directly with solar power in the future. To this end, it has set up an electric filling station in Schaan that will charge the transport vehicles of the future with environmentally friendly energy from a photovoltaic system. The process should be uncomplicated and take place during waiting times.
In a joint project with Hunger Transport AG, Liechtensteinische Post is currently testing a truck that will cover more than 100,000 km per year in the future, saving around 120 tons of CO² compared to conventional vehicles. This approach by Liechtensteinische Post AG could become a model for an environmentally friendly and climate-friendly logistics and transportation sector.
In view of climate change developments, the triumph of the electric motor is inevitable. This is also demonstrated by the ambitious targets set by major companies and manufacturers. Further interesting innovations and advances in the field of e-mobility can certainly be expected in the coming years. The logistics sector, meanwhile, can only benefit from cleaner vehicles. Because one thing is certain: nobody can ignore the issue of sustainability today.
SpediFux is the smart digital transport company for Switzerland & Liechtenstein. Freight forwarding, whether it's boxes, general cargo, or pallets. Easy to use, reliable processing, guaranteed price.
