Electric heavy-duty trucks - Policy Outlook : Planned and implemented policies to support battery electric heavy-duty vehicles in Sweden, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, UK and California (US)
(2023) In IMES/EESS report- Abstract (Swedish)
- The transport sector accounted for 37% of global CO2 emissions from end-use sectors in 2021. For the transport- and road freight sector to contribute to emissions reduction targets while still meeting the foreseen increase in transport demands, decarbonization will play a key role.
This study focus on battery-electric heavy-duty trucks and the objective is to provide an overview of policy instruments, planned or implemented, that support the introduction of such trucks in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, UK and California (US). This study also aims to identify policy design that could be interesting to further investigate in a Swedish context.
Although the number of trucks is still very low, all countries have... (More) - The transport sector accounted for 37% of global CO2 emissions from end-use sectors in 2021. For the transport- and road freight sector to contribute to emissions reduction targets while still meeting the foreseen increase in transport demands, decarbonization will play a key role.
This study focus on battery-electric heavy-duty trucks and the objective is to provide an overview of policy instruments, planned or implemented, that support the introduction of such trucks in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, UK and California (US). This study also aims to identify policy design that could be interesting to further investigate in a Swedish context.
Although the number of trucks is still very low, all countries have implemented various policy instruments to support an increasing electrification of the freight sector. In general, all countries seem to have a similar approach when implementing such policy instruments although there are also interesting differences that could be used for inspiration when designing new policies.
The most common economic policy instrument is investment subsidies for vehicles as well as infrastructure. It can be noted that the size of the subsidy varies between different countries which could reflect different market conditions or different ambition from policy makers. Either way, since market conditions change rapidly, not least due to a technical development, it is important that policy makers have access to updated TCO calculations to make sure that investment subsidies are on the required level.
In addition to the size of the subsidy, there are also some differences in the practical implementation. In the EU, it is required that the buyer of the truck apply for a subsidy in competition with others. California and the UK on the other hand use a voucher system that does not require an application from the truck buyer. In addition to investment subsidies for vehicles, most countries have also implemented subsidies for charging infrastructure. In this matter, Sweden stands out with several subsidies for infrastructure that does not require investments in trucks at the same time. Although this is a more flexible solution for market actors, the application system applied in Sweden and other EU countries seems to require more administration and uncertainties for the company that like to invest compared to the voucher system applied in the UK and California. It would therefore be interesting to further analyse if such a system could be implemented under EU state aid regulations.
It is also common to use administrative policy instruments to create incentives for low or zero emission trucks including but not limited to battery-electric heavy duty trucks. The fit for 55 package in the EU includes for instance CO2 emission standards that currently requires manufacturer to reduce emissions from new trucks with an overtime increasing percentage as compared to 2019 levels.
A similar but maybe more direct approach can be found in California where authorities have implemented both push and pull instruments aiming at manufacturers as well as private fleet owners. These instruments create an obligation for manufacturers to sell and for fleet owners to buy and thus ensuring a minimum share of zero emission trucks operated in California.
In Sweden it is probably necessary do follow EU regulation when it comes to requirements on manufacturers. However, it could be interesting to analyse possibilities and challenges with a system that makes it mandatory for large fleet owners to buy or operate a minimum number of zero-emission trucks.
Another kind of policy instrument that is or will be implemented in several countries are zero emission zones. This instrument allows policy makers to push for zero emission trucks where they give the highest benefits from a society perspective. Several countries are also working with different road toll systems on high-ways or zones in cities where conventional trucks are not forbidden but must pay a fee that is higher than the fee for zero-emission trucks. Thus, policy makers can create an incentive for zero-emission trucks without banning conventional trucks. In Sweden, there are no zero-emission zones, road tolls or any other similar system that affect the operation cost of an electric truck compared to conventional trucks. Since such policy instruments make it possible to target measures to areas where electric vehicles have the highest benefits it could be beneficial to further analyse the pros and cons with such policy instruments in a Swedish context.
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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/e6216207-6d9a-4eae-a707-47db1cac1825
- author
- Lantz, Mikael LU and Joelsson, Yuri LU
- organization
- alternative title
- Elektriska tunga lastbilar - policy utblick : Planerade och implementerade policies för att stödja batteridrivna elektriska tunga fordon i Sverige, Österrike, Tyskland, Nederländerna, Storbritannien och Kalifornien (USA)
- publishing date
- 2023-02-15
- type
- Book/Report
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- IMES/EESS report
- pages
- 55 pages
- publisher
- Department of Environmental and Energy Systems Studies, Lund university
- report number
- 129
- ISBN
- 9789186961558
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- e6216207-6d9a-4eae-a707-47db1cac1825
- date added to LUP
- 2023-02-16 10:29:18
- date last changed
- 2023-02-21 07:37:24
@techreport{e6216207-6d9a-4eae-a707-47db1cac1825,
abstract = {{The transport sector accounted for 37% of global CO2 emissions from end-use sectors in 2021. For the transport- and road freight sector to contribute to emissions reduction targets while still meeting the foreseen increase in transport demands, decarbonization will play a key role. <br/><br/>This study focus on battery-electric heavy-duty trucks and the objective is to provide an overview of policy instruments, planned or implemented, that support the introduction of such trucks in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, UK and California (US). This study also aims to identify policy design that could be interesting to further investigate in a Swedish context.<br/>Although the number of trucks is still very low, all countries have implemented various policy instruments to support an increasing electrification of the freight sector. In general, all countries seem to have a similar approach when implementing such policy instruments although there are also interesting differences that could be used for inspiration when designing new policies. <br/>The most common economic policy instrument is investment subsidies for vehicles as well as infrastructure. It can be noted that the size of the subsidy varies between different countries which could reflect different market conditions or different ambition from policy makers. Either way, since market conditions change rapidly, not least due to a technical development, it is important that policy makers have access to updated TCO calculations to make sure that investment subsidies are on the required level. <br/>In addition to the size of the subsidy, there are also some differences in the practical implementation. In the EU, it is required that the buyer of the truck apply for a subsidy in competition with others. California and the UK on the other hand use a voucher system that does not require an application from the truck buyer. In addition to investment subsidies for vehicles, most countries have also implemented subsidies for charging infrastructure. In this matter, Sweden stands out with several subsidies for infrastructure that does not require investments in trucks at the same time. Although this is a more flexible solution for market actors, the application system applied in Sweden and other EU countries seems to require more administration and uncertainties for the company that like to invest compared to the voucher system applied in the UK and California. It would therefore be interesting to further analyse if such a system could be implemented under EU state aid regulations. <br/>It is also common to use administrative policy instruments to create incentives for low or zero emission trucks including but not limited to battery-electric heavy duty trucks. The fit for 55 package in the EU includes for instance CO2 emission standards that currently requires manufacturer to reduce emissions from new trucks with an overtime increasing percentage as compared to 2019 levels. <br/>A similar but maybe more direct approach can be found in California where authorities have implemented both push and pull instruments aiming at manufacturers as well as private fleet owners. These instruments create an obligation for manufacturers to sell and for fleet owners to buy and thus ensuring a minimum share of zero emission trucks operated in California.<br/>In Sweden it is probably necessary do follow EU regulation when it comes to requirements on manufacturers. However, it could be interesting to analyse possibilities and challenges with a system that makes it mandatory for large fleet owners to buy or operate a minimum number of zero-emission trucks. <br/>Another kind of policy instrument that is or will be implemented in several countries are zero emission zones. This instrument allows policy makers to push for zero emission trucks where they give the highest benefits from a society perspective. Several countries are also working with different road toll systems on high-ways or zones in cities where conventional trucks are not forbidden but must pay a fee that is higher than the fee for zero-emission trucks. Thus, policy makers can create an incentive for zero-emission trucks without banning conventional trucks. In Sweden, there are no zero-emission zones, road tolls or any other similar system that affect the operation cost of an electric truck compared to conventional trucks. Since such policy instruments make it possible to target measures to areas where electric vehicles have the highest benefits it could be beneficial to further analyse the pros and cons with such policy instruments in a Swedish context.<br/>}},
author = {{Lantz, Mikael and Joelsson, Yuri}},
institution = {{Department of Environmental and Energy Systems Studies, Lund university}},
isbn = {{9789186961558}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{02}},
number = {{129}},
series = {{IMES/EESS report}},
title = {{Electric heavy-duty trucks - Policy Outlook : Planned and implemented policies to support battery electric heavy-duty vehicles in Sweden, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, UK and California (US)}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/138033720/Report_129.pdf}},
year = {{2023}},
}