Review of the VLB Congress: e-trucks in practice – experiences, challenges and wishes

The VLB Congress is behind us, and we at Prüstel Spedition can look back on exciting discussions and valuable insights. While many speakers talked about the theory of AI, sustainability and CO₂ reduction, we took a different approach: We reported from the field – about our experiences with e-trucks, the daily challenges and our learnings.

Why do we use e-trucks at all?

Because we want to make a contribution to reducing CO₂ emissions, actively shape the mobility transition and secure an advantage over our competitors.

The implementation phase:

We analyzed the requirements together with our customers. Only Volvo and Renault were able to supply us with vehicles as early as October 2024 – Daimler and MAN will not follow until 2025. In addition to the known costs for diesel trucks, we had to clarify What must the cost structure for e-trucks look like? What should a kilowatt hour cost? And what charging infrastructure is actually available in Germany? Not to forget: Our professional drivers needed training and support to familiarize themselves with the new technology.

Positive experiences:

• Range anxiety? Unfounded! There are many charging options, including public ones.
• Weather conditions? Only 13% more power consumption in the cold season.
• Topography? No problem thanks to recuperation.
• Disposition effort? Much less than expected.

Everyday challenges:

• 90% have to be unhitched when loading – this costs time, money (parking fees and wear and tear) and causes resentment among drivers.
• Convincing professional drivers was another hurdle.
• In the beginning, there were frequent updates to the e-trucks.
• It was essential to set up our own charging infrastructure on site.

Economic challenges:

• E-trucks are 2.5x as expensive as diesel vehicles.
• Lower maintenance fees? Not at all.
• The current electricity prices are not yet attractive.
• The toll exemption ends in 2025 – we expect charges from 2026 (far too early in our opinion).

Our wish:

• Expansion of the public charging infrastructure without charging.
• Charging infrastructure at shippers and in the industry.
• Improvement of battery technology: lighter batteries with high charging speed.
• Clear political positioning to make it easier for entrepreneurs to make decisions.
• Faster growth of the electric fleet.

Many thanks to all those who came to our stand after our presentation and were interested in our experiences!

We’re staying tuned – for sustainable and future-oriented logistics!