The discussion around electric trucks often feels like an endless loop: too expensive, not enough range, no charging stations. But what if we're approaching it from the wrong angle entirely? At the end of the day, logistics is about efficiency and cost. And this is precisely where e-mobility will not just catch up with diesel, but overtake it.
In the latest episode of the LogTech Podcast, Robert Ziegler, founder of Karox, shared a sentence that stuck with me: "Sustainability that’s not affordable is not sustainable." It hits the nail on the head. Green logistics can't be a luxury item. It has to pay for itself.
The Real Power Is in the Software, Not the Battery
An electric truck isn't just a diesel truck with a battery. It's a rolling computer, and its efficiency depends on countless factors: temperature, wind, topography, and payload weight. No driver can manage that by gut feeling alone. Anyone who tries to dispatch an e-truck like a diesel will fail.
The crucial point is digital control. We need to move away from a purely hardware-focused mindset and toward an integrated ecosystem. This means connecting the truck's telematics data, battery management, charging infrastructure, and transport planning into a single, centralized logic. This is how the "black box" of execution, so familiar from the diesel world, finally becomes transparent. Suddenly, we know exactly where the truck is, what its energy consumption looks like, and can steer it proactively. The result? More control, greater reliability, and better utilization.
Why a 500-Kilometer Range Is More Than Enough
Time and again, my co-host Jannik and I hear the argument of range anxiety. But this is a myth that quickly falls apart under scrutiny. Robert put it perfectly in the podcast: no driver can cover 500 kilometers in a 40-ton truck without violating mandatory rest periods.
The real challenge isn't the range; it's intelligent charging. Ideally, this happens when the truck is already stationary: during loading and unloading, on a driver's break, or during a shift change. By cleverly using this downtime and pre-booking charging slots, charging becomes a seamless part of the process instead of a disruption. At that point, it doesn't matter if the truck has a range of 300 or 600 kilometers—as long as the transport plan is solid.
The Chinese Wave: Threat or Necessary Wake-Up Call?
This is where it gets interesting. While the EU put around 8,500 electric trucks on the road in 2024, the top manufacturers in China alone produced nearly ten times that number. And as Robert reports from his own experience, these vehicles are on par with or even better in quality—at a fraction of the price. A current European e-truck costs around €250,000; a comparable model from China is just under €100,000.
You can see this as a threat. Or as the urgently needed acceleration. To meet the ambitious CO2 targets of major shippers, we need this capacity. This competition will also put pressure on European manufacturers' prices and speed up the transformation. In the end, what matters to the carrier is the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)—and powered by cheaper "fuel" (electricity) and falling purchase prices, the e-truck will soon be unbeatable.
Investing in new diesel trucks today is, from an economic standpoint, a risky bet on the past. The future of road transport is electric and digitally managed—not just because it's more sustainable, but because it will be smarter and more profitable.
