Many fleets currently find themselves at a crossroads. On one hand, future emission standards and city-specific regulations will eventually dictate a mass transition away from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. On the other hand, and especially for the heavy-duty sector, alternative technologies are nowhere near maturity. While fleets are stuck with ageing vehicles—the average heavy-duty truck is 13 years old in Europe—there are few new options on the market.
This dilemma means fleets are being forced to stick or twist. Do they update to the very latest and potentially unproven technology today at a high premium? Or is there scope to eke out their current vehicles while the price of new technology drops and its real-world performance is proven?