Technical and Business Aspects of Battery Electric Trucks—A Systematic Review

Abstract

Heavy-duty trucks (HDTs) are responsible for considerable fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the road transportation sector due to their heavier weight, and significantly more miles travelled in comparison with other vehicles. Regarding the climate change mitigation policies, HDTs need to become zero-emission vehicles. One of the technological solutions in this sector is the battery electric truck (BET). This paper includes a systematic review on relevant studies in the field of BETs, including the following: (1) the technical, stakeholder, and customer aspects in terms of charging solutions to give a comprehensive insight into their technological advantages and disadvantages; (2) the total cost of ownership (TCO) for BETs and diesel trucks; and (3) a CO2 life cycle assessment (LCA) from different technologies. Moreover, the result is formulated in the form of SWOT analysis to describe the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of different charging technologies. Moreover, the different calculation methods of the total cost of ownership for the heavy-duty battery trucks and diesel trucks are compared. In addition, the CO2 LCA is analyzed, and the different estimation methods of the CO2 released in the environment are compared, which includes the CO2 emissions during mobility operations and during the different manufacturing processes.