Climate Notes: Challenges of Getting Long-Haul and Heavy-Duty Vehicles to Go Electric

Going electric and/or the coupling of the electricity and transport sectors plays a key role in the reduction of greenhouse gases in all technological scenarios. A great deal of attention has been paid to the electrification of cars. But there has been less of a focus on long-haul and heavy-duty vehicles to date, despite the fact that air traffic and shipping, as well as goods transport via lorries currently accounts for a sizeable 40% of emissions in German traffic. The article in the “climate notes” series offers an overview of the central EU regulations, challenges and opportunities facing the sector in coupling in these transport segments.