Antriebswende im Schwerlastverkehr: Treibhausgasquote benachteiligt batterieelektrische Lkw

In: DIW Wochenbericht - 92 (2025). DIW - Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung. Vol. 46, S. 724-732. DOI: 10.18723/DIW_WB:2025-46-1.

Authors: Wolf-Peter Schill, Julius Jöhrens, Felix Spathelf

Road freight transport accounts for just under a third of Germany’s transport emissions. To become climate-neutral by 2045, a shift is needed towards zero-emission vehicles such as battery-electric lorries. These have so far played only a minor role, particularly in heavy goods transport, but their share has grown significantly in recent times. A key factor in their continued market growth is the incentives arising from the greenhouse gas quota (GHG quota). This obliges oil companies to reduce a proportion of the greenhouse gas emissions caused by their fuels, for example through quota trading with lorry and charging point operators. However, the current design of this climate protection instrument puts battery-electric lorries at a disadvantage compared to fuel-cell lorries: their mileage is underestimated, the emissions from the electricity used to power them are overestimated, and their energy efficiency advantages are not accurately reflected. Reform options that could be implemented quickly would include increasing the estimated annual mileage of the vehicles and providing a more realistic estimate of emissions from the electricity mix. Furthermore, a more comprehensive reform appears sensible in order to adequately take into account the energy efficiency benefits of battery-electric lorries within the framework of the GHG quota scheme.

Article in German.