What’s the timeline for electric commercial vehicles?

Automotive World’s special report on commercial vehicle electrification outlines the challenges and opportunities available to mainstream and new CV manufacturers, as well as fleets and suppliers, as they seek to adopt electric propulsion technology in line with, or even ahead of increasingly stringent fuel economy and emissions regulations.

Light commercial vehicles (LCVs) and some medium-duty (MD) vehicle applications are expected to quickly convert to battery electric power over the next two decades, and the rapid adoption globally of electric buses is widely seen as an early win for CV electrification.

Electrification is expected even in long-haul and heavy-duty applications, but here battery electric vehicle (BEV) technology is seen as a stepping stone to fuel cell EVs (FCEVs) once the technology and infrastructure exist to make it a viable consideration.

By the mid-2030s, BEVs and FCEVs will count for a significant proportion of new truck sales, and fleets will need to be ramping up their e-truck acquisitions from 2040 if, as the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) suggests, they are to electrify their fleets by 2050 to avoid worst case climate change scenarios.

• The timeline to commercial vehicle electrification: hard stop 2050?
• We need electric vans, say mobility service providers
• Electric CVs are coming—but who’s ready to ramp up?
• Electric delivery, refuse vehicles become priority for fleets
• Battery truck rollout depends on rapid infrastructure development
• Suppliers and new entrants readying for zero-emission long-haul trucking
• Will the 2020s be the decade of the electric bus?

‘Special report: What’s the timeline for electric commercial vehicles?’ presents insight from a range of leading stakeholders, including:

• Arrival
• Bosch
• Deutsche Post DHL
• McKinsey
• Proterra
• Ricardo
• Scania
• Transport & Environment
• ViaVan
• Volvo Trucks