In a recent interview with for the Centre for Transportation and Logistics (CTL), India, Professor David Cebon outlines the fundamental challenges in decarbonising long-haul road freight. He discussed the key ‘basic numbers’: road freight contributes roughly 5–7% of global carbon emissions, while operating margins in the logistics industry are extremely low (around 3–5%). Dominance of sector by small, family-owned firms with limited capital and expertise, making large investments in low-carbon technologies difficult. He then discusses how battery electric in long-haul leads to three challenges. First is the mass penalty—heavy batteries reduce payload, meaning more electric trucks are needed to do the same work as diesel trucks. Time penalty being the second challenge addressed. Providing high-capacity grid connections at warehouses and logistics hubs is third challenge discussed. The discussion further moves towards future energy solutions, at which Prof. Cebon emphasizes the alignment between renewable energy (particularly solar and wind) and freight electrification, with significant potential in countries like India due to favorable geography and solar availability. Finally, Prof. Cebon advises researchers to adopt a multidisciplinary approach, integrating engineering, logistics, energy systems, economics, and policy, and to work closely with logistics companies.
