The German Ministry of Transport recently announced it will invest €1 billion to develop more commercial electric truck charging infrastructure in Germany. The funding will be spread out over four years. Electric vehicles have a distinct advantage over internal combustion engine vehicles. Their motors are much more energy efficient. Internal combustion engine vehicles waste a lot of their energy, so replacing them with all-electric ones makes sense in terms of energy efficiency. Electricity also costs less than gasoline and diesel fuel, so electric trucks also make economic sense. “Heavy-duty road freight transport is essential for Germany as an economic hub. At the same time however, this sector is tasked with becoming climate-friendly. With our one billion-euro funding programme, we are now creating the foundation for a speedy expansion of charging infrastructure and facilitating freight forward ers as well as logistics companies in switching to battery-electric commercial vehicles,” said Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder. Of course, fossil fuel trucks generate a huge amount of greenhouse gases that electric trucks do not. Some EV critics try to claim electric vehicles all run on electricity from coal, but in Germany a little over half of the country’s electricity actually came from clean, renewable sources in 2025. Germany has a plan to run on about 80% clean, renewable electricity by 2030 and eventually be at zero emissions. Coal is planned to be entirely phased out. Currently, some electricity in Germany is still produced by coal but it is not the majority energy source, and again, it will be tapered down to zero, according to the national plan. Diesel trucks also produce toxic air pollution that harms human health, so eliminating them will be better for climate change and people. Last year, I interviewed a German truck driver who switched to driving electric trucks, who said, “Another huge bonus is the absence of air and noise pollution. Many people aren’t aware of how unhealthy the diesel fumes are and especially when you are driving in the city, pedestrians are constantly breathing in diesel truck fumes. And noise pollution is even less talked about. I often drive late at night through cities or small villages, and the absence of a roaring diesel engine makes trucking a lot more pleasant for the driver, but so much more for all the people already sleeping or getting ready for bed.” The annual German road freight market is worth about $66 billion, so supporting it with funding for electrification is a helpful move from the national government.
+53 others
