The benefits of green horizontal networks: Lessons learned from sharing charging infrastructure for electric freight vehicles

Abstract

AbstractThis paper investigates how a group of firms collaborate horizontally to find innovative solutions to be more environmentally friendly by sharing charging infrastructure among themselves. Such collaborations enable a faster transition to electrifying road freight transport. We conduct an embedded case study of firms operating in Stockholm that are exploring the possibility of sharing charging infrastructure for their electric freight vehicles (EFVs). The study reveals four business models for sharing: sharing existing privately owned infrastructure, jointly building new infrastructure, jointly building new infrastructure at a shared customer's site and organizing sharing through a third party. The results show that these sharing models have both economic and environmental benefits, providing new revenue streams, enabling cost sharing, reducing investment costs, increasing utilization and reducing material usage. From a collaborative point of view, the results point to the importance of having multiple actors that form a network to provide large‐scale benefits. Our study reveals that there needs to be both environmental and economic incentives for firms to join horizontal networks characterized by coopetition. Trust between actors is also important in the forming of networks and during collaboration, especially since actors need to continuously share data within the network.