COVER STORY


BATTERIES OR HYDROGEN? THE FUTURE OF


LONG-HAUL TRUCKING


By Andrea Bath, manager, Low-Carbon Energy Systemiq and head of Low Carbon Fuels, Energy Transitions Commission


H


eavy-duty trucking remains one of the toughest challenges in decarbonising road


transport. The Energy Transitions Commission projects that demand for commercial vehicle travel could grow by around 90% by 2050. Long-haul freight vehicles must travel hundreds of kilometres, carry heavy loads and minimise downtime for refuelling. Meeting those requirements while eliminating fossil fuels has sparked a growing debate. Heavy-duty trucks and buses represent fewer


than 8% of vehicles on the road globally but generate more than 35% of direct road transport


CO2 emissions, reflecting the long distances travelled and the amount of fuel consumed. Two solutions dominate the discussion for


heavy-duty freight: battery electric and hydrogen- fuelled trucks. The question is whether batteries can realistically power long-haul trucking, or whether hydrogen will ultimately play a larger role in the longest-distance freight segments.


THE EFFICIENCY ADVANTAGE OF BATTERIES Battery electric trucks benefit from: energy efficiency. When electricity is used directly in a battery electric vehicle, around 75-90% of the input energy is converted into motion. Producing hydrogen from electricity through electrolysis, compressing or liquefying it, transporting it and converting it back into electricity in a fuel cell introduces several additional losses, leaving far less energy available to move the vehicle. In practical terms, powering freight primarily with hydrogen would require significantly more renewable electricity to move the same goods.


THE ECONOMICS OF BATTERY TRUCKS Modelling of European freight markets suggests battery electric trucks could become the lowest- cost zero-emission option for most truck classes before 2030. For heavy-duty long-haul vehicles, battery-electric trucks are projected to reach total cost of ownership parity with diesel by 2030 in Europe and the United States, where China has already achieved this milestone. Even demanding applications such as 1,000km cross-border routes could become cost-competitive before the end of the decade if megawatt-scale charging infrastructure is available. Battery electric trucks captured 22% of China’s


heavy-duty truck market in the first half of 2025, up from under 9% a year earlier. China is also pioneering battery swapping technology for heavy trucks, with CATL deploying swap stations along major freight corridors that can exchange a battery pack in minutes. Leading manufacturers expect electric trucks to account for at least 50% of


Chinese heavy-duty truck sales by 2028. European manufacturers including Volvo,


Daimler and Scania are also expanding their heavy-duty battery truck ranges, with the latest models capable of ranges exceeding 600km. Long-haul battery trucks are expected to recharge during mandatory 45-minute driver rest breaks, rather than relying on lengthy charging stops. The Megawatt Charging System (MCS), a new charging standard now being deployed along major freight corridors in Europe, makes this practical, capable of charging a truck from 20 to 80% in under 30 minutes and adding around 350km of range during a single rest stop. North America is following, with the first public sites opening in 2026.


THE PAYLOAD CHALLENGE Despite these advances, battery trucks face a fundamental constraint: energy density. Large battery packs add significant weight to heavy-duty vehicles. For freight operators, this matters because the weight of the battery can reduce the amount of cargo a truck can carry. In long-haul logistics, where freight is typically sold per tonne- kilometre, payload capacity is a key economic factor. Trucks carrying less cargo may need to make additional trips to transport the same amount of freight. For this reason, battery electric trucks appear particularly well suited to short and medium-haul freight routes, where vehicles can recharge at depots or logistics hubs and range requirements are more modest.


HYDROGEN’S COMPETING PATHWAYS Hydrogen is often presented as the natural alternative for long-distance trucking, but the technology is developing along two pathways. The first is hydrogen fuel-cell trucks, which store hydrogen in pressurised tanks and convert it into electricity using a fuel cell to power an electric drivetrain. Because hydrogen contains far more energy per unit of weight than batteries, fuel-cell trucks can potentially achieve longer ranges without carrying extremely heavy energy storage systems. Companies including Hyundai, Toyota and Daimler are investing heavily in this technology. The second pathway is hydrogen combustion engines, which adapt conventional internal combustion engines to run on hydrogen rather than diesel. Some manufacturers have explored this approach as a transitional technology because it builds on existing engine technology. However, modelling from the ICCT suggests


hydrogen combustion trucks face long-term competitiveness challenges. Compared with battery-electric trucks, hydrogen combustion


6ENERGY & SUSTAINABILITY SOLUTIONS - Spring 2026


vehicles are expected to have higher operating costs while lacking the efficiency advantages of direct electrification. As a result, much of the industry’s focus has shifted toward fuel-cell trucks rather than hydrogen combustion engines. Even fuel-cell trucks face substantial economic


and infrastructure challenges. In Europe, green hydrogen currently costs around $7-8 per kilogram, several times the cost of diesel on an equivalent energy basis, and while costs are projected to fall as production scales, they remain high. Clean hydrogen markets are also developing more slowly than many early projections anticipated. These constraints reinforce the importance of prioritising hydrogen for sectors where direct electrification is difficult, rather than applications where battery solutions may already be viable. There may also be niche applications, such as ultra-heavy mining trucks, which carry extreme payloads over fixed routes, where hydrogen’s energy density advantage over batteries is more compelling and on-site refuelling infrastructure is easier to justify.


INFRASTRUCTURE AND ELECTRICITY Infrastructure will play a decisive role in determining how freight transport decarbonises. Battery electric trucks require extremely high-power charging infrastructure. Charging a long-haul truck with a large battery pack can create very high peak electricity demand, particularly at busy logistics hubs. Hydrogen production systems operate


differently. Electrolysers typically run at relatively steady output levels, creating more baseload electricity demand rather than short spikes in consumption. Both pathways will therefore require substantial investment in new infrastructure.


THE BIGGER PICTURE The debate between batteries and hydrogen is often framed as a competition between technologies. In reality, the outcome is likely to depend on where each solution performs best. Battery electric trucks are already moving into many freight segments as costs fall, charging infrastructure expands and vehicle performance improves. Hydrogen trucks may emerge more gradually as hydrogen production scales and supply chains develop. The underlying economics and energy efficiency of batteries mean they are well placed to serve much of the trucking sector, particularly in short and medium-haul applications where charging infrastructure is available. But hydrogen retains a compelling case for the heaviest loads and longest routes, where energy density and rapid refuelling matter most. The most likely outcome is not one technology winning, but both playing distinct and complementary roles in decarbonising freight.


Energy Transitions Commission www.energy-transitions.org/who/


www.essmag.co.uk


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