Acceptance Analysis of Electric Heavy Trucks and Battery Swapping Stations in the German Market

Abstract

Heavy-duty vehicles are a major contributor to CO2 emissions in the transportation sector, and it is necessary to develop clean and green technologies to replace diesel trucks. Electric trucks have not reached a breakthrough in the German market. In addition to technology development, customer acceptance of new technologies is a critical factor in the success of sustainable transportation policies. This study aims to fill this knowledge gap by investigating the perceptions regarding electric trucks and providing insights into the acceptance of these technologies. Data and arguments on the expected risks and benefits of heavy-duty electric trucks, with a special focus on the battery swapping solution, were collected through a survey and expert interviews in the German commercial transport sector. The authors collected a sample of 146 qualitative responses and 61 individual statements on the expected risks and benefits of electric trucks and battery swapping. While the responses to the classified questions are overwhelmingly positive, the individual statements show that there are still many open questions.