My eRoads

Strong CO2 reductions are a major challenge, especially in the commercial vehicle sector. The direct use of renewable electricity in vehicles by means of batteries or overhead catenary lines in principle allows for an efficient “decarbonisation” of these vehicles. Electric trucks and electric buses are already in operation in local transport. In long-distance transport, catenary hybrid trucks are currently subject to first pilot tests on public roads in Germany. Moreover, some practical experience have been gathered with battery-powered trucks on short to medium distances, and there have been also some battery-powered long-distance trucks announced for the near future. A comprehensive practical analysis of potential applications of different types of electric commercial vehicles is necessary to support further electrification in road transport.

The aim of the project is to develop an analytical toolkit for a route-based assessment of electrification potentials for commercial vehicle fleets in freight and passenger transport. The approach is twofold:

• Vehicle operators (e.g. forwarders and leasing companies) can easily assess the electrification potential of their fleet using a web-tool that considers their vehicle usage patterns.
• Politics can use the results of the analysis to design and optimise infrastructure roll-out, so that electrification potential for commercial vehicles can be tapped to the maximum possible extent.

The rapid development of electric drive technology in the commercial vehicle sector makes it increasingly important to consider charging at charging stations and power supply while driving in an integrated way. Individual advice via online application has already proven itself in the “My eDrive” project for the passenger car sector.