Abstract

This study aims to evaluate how an electrification of heavy vehicles can be realized in practice on Gotland to promote the development of renewable energy and gain an understanding of how the energy system should be developed. A case study has been carried out at Roma Grus, a haulage company who has used an electric truck within their business as a part of a pilot project led by Ecoloop AB.

The case study includes an evaluation of the pilot project and also a comparison between diesel and electric trucks based on the haulier’s transports. The results show that the vehicle in the pilot project is difficult to apply to Roma Grus since it is not adapted for the business’s long, irregular and high-consumption routes. Both higher battery capacity and charging power and an increased charging infrastructure are required. An electrification of the haulier’s transports would lead to higher investment costs but cheaper fuel costs and significantly lower emissions.

This study also examines a full-scale electrification of Gotland’s heavy diesel vehicles by investigating the impact on the energy system and greenhouse gas emissions. The results show that the energy demand from electric trucks would at most correspond to two percent of the current annual electricity consumption on Gotland. Regarding power consumption, fast charging of the vehicles will be a challenge due to lack of capacity in the electricity grid. However, if a full-scale electrification of heavy transport were to take place, the emissions could significantly reduce.