Electric Trucks Gain Ground: Over 40 Percent of Surveyed Fleet Decision-Makers See Cost Advantage Over Diesel

Leinfelden-Echterdingen – More than 40 percent of fleet decision-makers surveyed by Daimler Truck consider battery-electric trucks more economical than diesel trucks in terms of total cost. Current EU registration figures also show strong growth in electrically chargeable trucks, although their market share remains low.

Electrification of road freight transport is progressing at different speeds across Europe. Chargeable medium-duty trucks are already reaching higher market shares, while market penetration of heavy-duty trucks remains low. Besides economic viability, charging infrastructure and regulatory conditions are decisive for further deployment.

Daimler Truck Survey: Over 40 Percent See Economic Advantage for Electric Trucks

Daimler Truck surveyed 197 fleet decision-makers in Germany, the United Kingdom and France for the non-representative survey. More than 40 percent rate battery-electric trucks as more economical than diesel trucks when total cost of ownership (TCO) is taken into account. A further 16 percent see both drivetrains as roughly on par, while around a quarter consider diesel trucks more economical. Almost a quarter of respondents already operate battery-electric trucks.

The results reflect the assessments of fleet decision-makers and do not constitute independent proof of lower total costs. Economic viability depends, among other factors, on purchase costs, mileage, energy prices, road toll regulations and charging infrastructure.

Charging Infrastructure Remains a Bottleneck for Fleet Operators

While around two-thirds of respondents consider electricity costs at least as predictable as diesel costs, 61 percent see disadvantages in the availability of charging infrastructure. Respondents thus rate the predictability of energy costs more favourably than the availability of charging infrastructure.

According to the company, logistics provider Dachser operates more than 200 battery-electric trucks in regional and long-haul transport and runs 25 emission-free delivery areas in Europe.

“We gain valuable real-world experience every day with our battery-electric trucks. The technology works. The next challenge is to identify the right use cases and scale the transformation across the industry. In addition to the necessary economic and regulatory framework conditions, such as toll exemptions, our transport partners need investment certainty as well as a reliable expansion of energy and charging infrastructure,” said Stefan Hohm, Chief Development Officer and Member of the Executive Board of Dachser.

The EU Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) sets minimum requirements for truck charging sites along the Trans-European Transport Network by 2030. On the TEN-T core network, charging points are to be available at intervals of no more than 60 kilometres in each direction of travel.

EU Market for Chargeable Trucks Grows by Almost 50 Percent

According to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA), new registrations of chargeable trucks above 3.5 tonnes in the EU rose by 49.8 percent year on year to 12,873 vehicles between January and September 2026. The ACEA category includes both battery-electric trucks and plug-in hybrids. Their combined market share increased from 3.8 to 5.3 percent. Diesel trucks still accounted for 91.7 percent.

Significant differences lie behind the overall market share. For medium-duty trucks with a gross vehicle weight of more than 3.5 and less than 16 tonnes, chargeable vehicles reached a market share of 19.8 percent in the first nine months of 2026. For heavy-duty trucks of 16 tonnes and above, the figure was only 2.5 percent. For full-year 2025, the share of chargeable trucks above 3.5 tonnes stood at 4.2 percent, up from 2.3 percent the year before.

EU Climate Targets: Manufacturers Call for More Time Despite Relief Measures

For the new heavy-duty vehicles covered, the EU requires a reduction in average CO₂ emissions compared with the reference period of 45 percent from 2030, 65 percent from 2035 and 90 percent from 2040. A rule granting manufacturers additional flexibility in accumulating emission credits for 2025 to 2029 entered into force in May 2026. The reduction targets remain unchanged.

Nevertheless, seven leading European truck and bus manufacturers called in September for a three-year postponement of the timeline for the CO₂ targets starting in 2030. According to ACEA, fewer than 2,000 publicly accessible charging points suitable for trucks are available across Europe. At least 700 more would need to be added every month. If the 2030 CO₂ target were missed by three percentage points, penalties of around EUR 2.2 billion could be incurred, according to an ACEA model calculation.

This points to a tension: while more than 40 percent of surveyed fleet decision-makers already consider electric trucks more economical, leading truck manufacturers continue to regard the conditions for broad market penetration as insufficient. In heavy-duty trucks in particular, the low market share of chargeable vehicles to date highlights the challenges of meeting the European CO₂ requirements from 2030.

Source: IWR Online, 02 Nov 2026