The acquisition costs for an e-truck are currently higher than for a diesel. In the long term, however, electric vehicles have one major advantage: the total cost of ownership (TCO). Europe-wide price hikes for fossil fuels, high energy efficiency, low operating and maintenance costs, risingCO2 taxes and concessions on toll systems for zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) make electric trucks attractive in the medium and long term. Numerous studies show that battery electric vehicles, or BEVs for short, will be the most economically viable option by the end of the 2020s. In addition, battery manufacturing costs will continue to fall drastically in the medium term.
In addition, many European countries, such as Germany and Austria, have subsidy measures in place to lower the purchase costs and reduceCO2 consumption.
At Designwerk, e-trucks are built on Volvo and Daimler chassis. The energy storage and battery systems are usually installed between the axles where the tanks and exhaust gas purification systems are located on diesel trucks. Instead of the heavy diesel engine, an electric drivetrain is installed in the e-truck. Four motors and a collective gearbox supply the rear axle with the necessary torque via a cardan shaft.
Superstructures with energy requirements such as cranes, waste compactors or concrete drums are supplied via auxiliary drives, so-called E-PTOs (Electric Power Take Offs). Up to two auxiliary drives with a peak output of up to 125 kW can be installed on Designwerk electric trucks.
Transportation solutions without fossil fuels, such as e-trucks, save considerable amounts ofCO2. Depending on the country and electricity mix, this saves large amounts of greenhouse gases. An Designwerk electric truck consumes 74% lessCO2 than the equivalent diesel vehicle (42-tonner, 120,000 kilometers per year) over the entire service life of the vehicle (cradle-to-grave), using a Swiss electricity mix.
Battery electric vehicles, or BEVs for short, use energy that is stored in batteries and charged via the power grid. An electric vehicle with fuel cell technology (FCEV), on the other hand, is powered by hydrogen. The drive train is electric. This hydrogen is converted into electricity during the journey by means of a fuel cell, which charges a small battery. The powertrain draws its energy from this battery. Download our guide to battery electric and fuel cell technology.
Electromobility or e-mobility refers to vehicles that are fully or partially powered by electricity. These can be electric cars, e-buses or e-trucks, for example. These vehicles have their own energy storage system and usually draw their electricity from the power grid. However, electromobility also covers battery systems, chargers and charging infrastructure.
Electric trucks are exempt from vehicle tax in Germany for a limited period of up to 10 years, depending on their initial registration. After this period, the vehicle tax payable is reduced by 50 percent.
TheCO2 tax has been in force in Germany since 2021. Among other things, it taxes the use of fossil fuels such as diesel and petrol. Companies must purchase emission certificates that are linked to the placing of fuels on the market rather than their consumption. Companies are allowed to sell one ton ofCO2 per certificate. The levies for one tonne of fossil fuels increase annually. While €25 per tonne ofCO2 was still due in 2021, it will be €55 from 2025.
Among other things, funding is provided for the purchase of commercial and special vehicles with battery-electric drives, such as electric trucks. In the first funding call, 80% of the additional costs (e.g. compared to a comparable diesel truck) for the new vehicle were covered. In the period from 2021 to 2024, 1.6 billion euros will be available to support the purchase of commercial vehicles. For each applicant, funding object and calendar year, the maximum grant amount for commercial vehicles and charging infrastructure is 15 million euros each (net). In the case of charging infrastructure, 80% of eligible total project-related expenditure is also subsidized.
Companies under private law, municipal companies and corporations under public law as well as registered associations are eligible for funding.
Contact us if you have any questions about this topic.
When planning routes for e-trucks, a distinction is made between range and active radius. Financially and ecologically, it makes sense to charge an e-truck overnight at its home base. However, the charging infrastructure for electric trucks is constantly being expanded throughout Europe. There should be around 11,000 charging points in the European Union by 2025. The target for 2030 is 42,000 charging points.
Some countries have already published maps with public charging stations for route planning for electric commercial vehicles. Here, for example, you can find a map from the Federal Network Agency with publicly accessible charging points in Germany: Charging infrastructure in Germany – StandortTOOL
You also have the option of joining a charging station association such as Plug-Surfing, Move or Ionity.
The Federal Trunk Road Toll Act stipulates that electrically powered trucks will initially be completely exempt from the truck toll in Germany for an indefinite period. This is particularly noticeable in the total cost of ownership.
The price of electricity varies greatly depending on the country. From a financial and environmental perspective, it makes sense to charge an e-truck overnight at its home location. This is why local prices are usually applied. In this case, the price is calculated by multiplying the charged capacity in kilowatt hours (kWh) by the electricity price per kWh.
It can be assumed that fleet customers, for example, will very quickly have access to discounted electricity tariffs for industrial customers.
The general rule for e-trucks is that they can be loaded with 40+2 tons in normal traffic and 44+2 tons in combined traffic. In Scandinavia, 50 tons is also no problem. E-trucks can transport well over 44 tons, provided they have a special permit and the vehicle is suitable.
The consumption of an electric truck depends on the tonnage and the application. Our empirical values show, for example, a consumption of 120 kWh per 100 kilometers in long-distance transport with tarpaulin trailers. Electric car transporters consume 150 kWh per 100 kilometers and electrified waste collection vehicles up to 220 kWh per 100 kilometers.
Yes, diesel trucks can be electrified. For example, the vehicle’s engine and tank are removed and replaced with battery systems. However, it makes little sense to convert an old diesel truck with many kilometers on the clock.
Yes – with an electric truck, unlike a diesel truck, the torque is available immediately. This means that as soon as the accelerator pedal is depressed, the electric truck starts moving. In general, electric trucks have fewer physical limits and more power than their diesel counterparts. In addition, battery-electric trucks from Designwerk drive with a smooth 1-speed gearbox.
Every municipal, transport or logistics company has individual areas of application. The best electric truck is therefore individually adapted to customer requirements and different areas of application. The Designwerk High Cab, for example, is ideal for anyone who has to cover long distances every day thanks to its high battery capacity and the associated range. The Designwerk Mid Cab is versatile and is therefore ideal for urban use. For construction logistics, the robust and reliable Designwerk Mid Cab X, which also copes well with difficult terrain, is certainly a sensible solution. The Designwerk Low Cab, with its low driver’s seat position and wide-area visibility, is particularly impressive in urban traffic, especially in the waste disposal sector.
The European Environment Agency(EEA) states that in Germany alone, heavy-duty vehicles are responsible for over 25 percent of emissions in the transport sector. According to EU regulations, manufacturers of buses and trucks must reduce the CO2 emissions of their new vehicles by an average of 15% by 2025 and by 30% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels. Conversely, this means that electric trucks are already playing a major role in heavy goods transport.
The areas of application for electric trucks have broadened considerably in recent years. Today, electrically powered trucks are successfully used in construction logistics, distribution logistics, recycling logistics, agricultural and forestry logistics and now also in long-distance logistics. Today, Designwerk customers are already driving up to 800 kilometers a day with our e-trucks. Electric trucks are emission-free and quiet. This makes them particularly suitable for stop-and-go or inner-city traffic. Battery-powered vehicles can convert kinetic energy back into electrical energy using a regenerative braking system. This system is called recuperation.
While the first electric trucks made their debut at the beginning of the 20th century, the technology remained a niche technology until well into the 2010s. It was not until the considerable improvements in lithium-ion batteries that the first applications could be successfully electrified.
If you look at the entire life cycle of a battery-powered truck, it generates moreCO2 during production than a diesel truck, while electric trucks are much more climate-friendly in operation. 90% of the environmental impact of diesel is caused by its use.
Example Switzerland: If you compare a Designwerk Semi High Cab 4x2T with a battery capacity of 500 kWh and a total towing weight of 40 tons with its diesel counterpart over a total service life of 10 years, you will reach the break-even point after just 1.06 years, even taking into account the production of the HV batteries. In concrete terms, this means thatCO2 emissions are immediately reduced by a real 75% by electrifying the application. This means that 61 tons ofCO2 can be saved per year by using the e-truck. No other technology offers the possibility of achieving suchCO2 savings.
Our e-trucks are based on the chassis of the Volvo FM, Volvo FMX and Volvo FH series as well as the low-entry chassis of the Econic from Daimler Trucks AG. Individual electric trucks are then produced in our Swiss plant.
There are no limits to the possible applications, whether in construction logistics, distribution logistics, recycling logistics or agricultural and forestry logistics.
E-trucks can do a lot that diesel trucks cannot. In addition to the most important plus point, theCO2 savings when driving, electric trucks also drive quietly. In many countries, this makes it possible to relieve daytime traffic and drive at night. In addition, electric trucks are no longer restricted by environmental zones, as is the case in Germany, for example. Electric trucks often receive discounts on insurance premiums and have lower maintenance costs. In some European countries, e-trucks can also benefit from government subsidies, toll exemptions and vehicle tax exemptions.
Battery Electric Vehicles, or BEVs for short, offer (unlike FCEVs) the possibility of electrifying hub-to-hub transportation comparatively easily. As long as a safe charging option for the electric truck can be offered overnight, the route can be electrified even without a public charging network.
The go-ahead has been given for the development of a nationwide charging infrastructure in Europe. There should be around 11,000 charging points for e-trucks in the European Union by 2025. The target for 2030 is 42,000 charging points. This target is in line with a study by the Fraunhofer Institute. The publishers assume that in a starting network with charging stations for e-trucks, charging stations will be set up at intervals of 100 kilometers and then expanded to a distance of 50 kilometers. The ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers Association) confirms these assumptions.
Designwerk has a service partner network for electric trucks in Germany and Switzerland. Contact us if you have any questions on this topic.
The Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) published a funding program for zero-emission commercial vehicles and infrastructure, or ENIN.
For battery electric commercial vehicles, 80% of the additional costs (compared to comparable diesel trucks) and presumably 40% of the investment costs for (charging) infrastructure will be covered in Austria. The funding consists of non-repayable investment cost grants.
e-truck do not pay a performance-based heavy vehicle fee, or HVF for short, in Switzerland. At the national level, parts of the automobile tax are waived. Some insurance companies offer lower premiums for e-vehicles.
If you look at the entire life cycle of an electric battery-powered truck, it does cause more CO2 in production than a diesel truck, but it is much more climate-friendly in operation. 90% of the environmental impact of diesel is caused by its use. A Designwerk electric truck therefore releases 74% lessCO2 over its entire service life than an average diesel truck (42-tonner, 120,000 kilometers per year). No other technology offers the possibility of achieving suchCO2 savings.
If you compare diesel and electric trucks, you can already see many advantages of electric commercial vehicles:
Hydrogen as well as electric trucks pursue a common goal: a greenhouse gas-neutral road transport. It is not possible to give a blanket answer as to which form of drive is the better one, because this depends very much on how the vehicle is used. However, industry and private individuals are increasingly turning to electric drives, which are more cost-effective in the long term. Particularly in the case of electric trucks, the ever-expanding ranges are also increasing the number of vehicles on the road. In recent years, there have been great advances in battery and charging technology. Another advantage for long-distance, plant and distribution logistics is the steadily growing infrastructure for battery-electric trucks in Europe.
Yes, electric trucks are already economically viable for some European companies. This trend will continue to grow in the coming years due to price spikes for fossil fuels, rising CO2 taxes, and concessions on toll systems for zero emission vehicles (ZEVs), such as e-truck. In addition, battery production costs will be significantly cheaper in the medium term. In many European countries, such as Germany or Austria, government subsidies reduce the purchase costs for e-truckin order to curb CO2 consumption and thus achieve the European climate targets.
Electric trucks are no longer only used for short distances in municipal or construction logistics. With battery capacities of up to 1000 kWh, such as the Designwerk High Cab Semi 6x2T, ranges of over 570 kilometers are possible with a fully loaded 42-ton truck. This means that battery-electric trucks are becoming increasingly interesting for long-distance, plant and distribution logistics.
In principle, you can charge an electric truck anywhere there is a wallbox or a high-voltage socket. There are several ways to charge an electric truck. On the vehicle via an AC socket with a CCS Type 2 plug and, for example, with a Juice Booster. If it has to be fast, charging is also possible via a DC plug (22 kW to 350 kW). There is also the possibility to load OnBoard. A 22 kW charger is always installed in Designwerk e-truck as standard. Optionally, a second can be installed to charge combined with a total of 44 kW. Another option is mobile fast chargers, which convert alternating current into direct current and can be used flexibly with up to 88 kW charging power thanks to their compact design.
Mega Chargers are a new generation of charging stations that use a standardized plug of the Megwatt Charging System with outputs in the megawatt range to extremely shorten charging times.
The charging process is simple and secured by a lock so that no one can pull off the charging port. So how do you charge an e-truck? Plug in, check charging power, check visual display, unplug, drive off. When the electric truck is fully charged, the charger is automatically switched off.
Designwerk ensures minimal environmental impact through the use of battery systems in three steps. The design life of our systems is 10-15 years. First Life: In First Life with particularly high capacity and performance requirements, the systems can be operated for around 8-10 years. In other words, between 2000 and 2500 charging cycles are possible. The larger the battery, the more kilometers can be effectively driven.
Second Life: Following use in the traction area, the storage unit can be returned with the available residual capacity. We are investigating another possible use as a second-life battery, for example as a home or buffer storage system. Recycling: Battery take-back is ensured through an advanced recycling fee and transparent recycling processes.
Together with partners, we ensure the recycling of batteries after use in first or second life. The recovered materials meet the qualitative criteria for use in the secondary raw materials market – sometimes for the production of new batteries. 96% of the valuable raw materials can be recovered in the recycling process.
When charging an electric vehicle, a distinction is made between AC and DC charging stations. The battery of an electric vehicle can normally only accept DC (direct current). This means that AC (alternating current) from the power grid must be converted beforehand. If this conversion takes place via the on-board charger in the vehicle, it is referred to as AC charging. If the charger or charging station converts the current via a rectifier, this is referred to as DC charging. The charging power can be limited by two factors:
The charging times of an electric truck depend on the battery capacity, the state of charge of the battery system, the charging technology in the vehicle (AC or DC) and the charging power of the charger.
Designwerk e-truck can now be charged with direct current of up to 350 kW. For an electric truck with 500 kWh capacity, the vehicle can be charged in under an hour (10-80% SoC). With today’s maximum battery capacity of 1000 kWh, charging is possible in under 2 hours.
Yes, Designwerk ‘s mobile DC fast chargers are compatible with all commercially available plug types (CCS Type 2, CCS Type 1, CHAdeMO, GB/T). This makes them particularly suitable for the automotive industry, in bus or truck depots for events or for test vehicles.
There are different charging options for electric vehicles. Wall charger or wallbox: A stationary charger that can be installed in the garage, for example.
Mobile Charger: A mobile fast charger that can be used regardless of location. Public charging stations: The public charging infrastructure is being further expanded. Electric vehicle owners can charge at an increasing number of public charging points.
NMC accumulators, usually called NMC battery, are currently installed in electric trucks from Designwerk. NMC batteries have a cathode consisting of nickel, manganese and cobalt in addition to lithium. The higher nickel content in these batteries increases the energy density, or the amount of energy stored per unit volume, which increases the range of the electric vehicle. Cobalt and manganese often act as stabilizers in NMC batteries and improve their safety.
Designwerk currently uses the so-called lithium ion NMC technology, which is also used in many electric cars. NMC stands for nickel-manganese-cobalt. This technology currently has the best energy density and enables the highest ranges. For maximum safety and reliability, Designwerk consist of high-quality, certified battery modules from the automotive environment.
Battery life depends on several factors – load profile, ambient temperatures and mileage all affect the life of high-voltage systems. With typical use, we expect a service life of approx. 8 years. After that, the traction battery is still usable and has a corresponding monetary time value. The battery system can then be used for many more years in other applications – so-called 2nd life applications such as home storage.
The battery management system, or BMS for short, is the brain of a battery. This monitors the state of the battery by means of temperature, voltage and current sensors. This continuously informs the BMS and thus calculates, for example, the state of charge or the maximum power that is currently possible. These values are passed on by the BMS to the vehicle control system. The BMS also monitors the insulation, balances the cell voltages with each other or logs data.
If the capacity indicator is at zero, the battery system is not empty. To protect the high-voltage battery system, there is an energy reserve that is not displayed. Electric truck drivers are trained and are responsible to check the battery capacity before driving. If no more power is available, the driver is warned. If the person drives off anyway, a warning appears on the display. Running the battery empty is not recommended.
There should be around 11,000 charging points for electric trucks in the European Union by 2025. The target for 2030 is 42,000 charging points. This objective is in line with a study by the Fraunhofer Institute. The editors assume that in a starting network with charging stations for e-truck, charging locations will be established at intervals of 100 kilometers and then expanded to an interval of 50 kilometers. The ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers Association) confirms these assumptions.
Fast charging means bringing the batteries in an e-truck from 10 to 80 percent (State of Charge/SOC) in a short time. The electric truck is charged exclusively with direct current (DC). The DC charging stations convert the alternating current (AC) independently into direct current (DC).
Designwerk e-truck can now be charged with up to 350 kW. With today’s maximum battery capacity of 1000 kWh, charging is possible in under 2 hours
