DHL Freight is committed to reducing all logistics-related emissions to net zero by 2050. Emission-reduced trucks are a key part of this effort. DHL Freight is pursuing strategies to make road freight transport as environmentally friendly as possible now and in the future by using alternative drive systems.
What Alternatives to Traditional Combustion Engines Does DHL Freight Have in Operation?
Despite EU climate targets and the availability of alternatives, diesel remains dominant in the EU’s road freight sector. Structural and operational obstacles are impeding the transition. Nevertheless, DHL Freight is showing that it is possible to integrate sustainable trucks.
What Types of Low-Emission Truck Drive Systems Are Used?
Low-emission engines are still combustion engines, but they emit fewer pollutants. They are relatively easy to implement, which allows for a reduction in emissions in the short term.
- Biodiesel derived from renewable raw materials or organic waste is being used by DHL Freight, for instance, on the first international biodiesel route for the transport of medicines.
- HVO (hydrogenated vegetable oil) is derived from oil plants or used cooking oils. DHL Freight operates HVO trucks for the Manitou Group and Alexion, among others.
- Gas engines are only sustainable if they run on biogas (bio-CNG or bio-LNG) rather than fossil natural gas. DHL has set up a bio-CNG filling station infrastructure in Germany.
- Synthetic fuels, such as e-fuels, can also play a strategic role if they are produced using renewable electricity.
Which Truck Drives Are Potentially Emission-Free?
E-mobility and hydrogen can make trucks climate-neutral, provided the electricity used to power them or to generate hydrogen comes from renewable sources.
- Electric trucks are well-established for last-mile and local transport. Recent developments have made them available for long-distance and heavy-duty transport as well. DHL Freight uses electric trucks for various services, including regular transport for Hilti and Satair, deliveries in southern Sweden, and heavy-duty transport around the western German city of Aachen. When it comes to innovative vehicles, DHL Freight is ready to try them out, as demonstrated by our testing of the eTopas 600 from SuperPanther.
- Hydrogen trucks are currently undergoing practical testing. In addition to its own pilot operations, DHL Freight is participating in research projects, such as HyCET, as well as large-scale field studies, such as H2Haul.
Photos: Mats Genberg, Marcus Sjöberg, Christoph Papsch, BMW Group, Cornelis Gollhardt, Andreas Oertzen
