While electric trucks (or e-trucks) aren’t new, as models emerged over a century ago, battery tech made them commercially accessible only in the 2010s. It seemed like yesterday that automobile brands raced to debut consumer models for an “electric truck revolution,” but sales today tell a different story.
A Lack of Individual Owners
For personal users, there’s less of a motivation to buy it. As many e-trucks are pricier than their gas counterparts, many truck drivers are sticking to internal combustion engines. More than that, people are aware of the hassles of electric vehicle charging, although the charging network is expanding extensively. Even flagship models see the demand dying after the initial surge of purchases. Traditional truck buyers, who value cost, durability, and convenience like all, remained skeptical.
The Fleet Opportunity Where E-Trucks Shine
While some individual consumers hesitate, future-forward fleets are adopting e-trucks, which are becoming financially attractive.
Urban delivery: Box trucks travel across the city, and electricity means less fuel cost.
Municipal services: Electric garbage/recycling trucks (like Amsterdam’s fleet) are cutting noise and emissions in local neighborhoods.
Enterprises: Light-duty e-trucks can cover operations in transport firms at a smaller price.
Roadblocks to E-Trucks Over Diesel Trucks
Charging a heavy-duty e-truck requires a significant amount of energy compared to light-duty vehicles, which demands grid upgrades to accommodate the charging station’s energy drainage. While commercial and public charging infrastructure may seem difficult for e-trucks, the fleets use depot charging stations and smart scheduling to charge during off-peak windows.
In contrast to the preconceptions of range anxiety, fleets don’t even need the 500-mile range that most already offer. Driver rest breaks can align with fast charges, such as by 600 kW Tron, and most freight trip ranges hover around 100 miles. Improvements are coming with battery technology growth, weights dropping to preserve payload capacity, and more electricity available to store (see this blog for more information about new-gen batteries).
What’s Next
E-trucks won’t replace diesel trucks overnight, but fleets demonstrate they can work where it matters: urban routes, high-utilization operations, and fixed schedules. As EV prices fall and grids modernize, the e-truck evolution will go its way. Consumer hesitation doesn’t mean complete failure, as the right users—fleets—are responding.
Check out viveEV’s reliable charging solutions to power e-truck fleets and owners at viveEV.com.