A transporter, a constructor and a mobility specialist. Only one city was missing to complete the panel, but Belgian cities and municipalities prefer not to communicate about their electrification efforts for the time being. No problem: the goodwill around the table during this podcast was clear.
Electrifying an entire sector, such as transport, is a bit like a game of Russian dolls (or no, let’s talk about stacking dolls for now!). Just when you think you’ve solved the biggest problem, underneath it all lies another challenge and so it goes on. The biggest ‘issue’ initially was the vehicle and its performance. That problem is being solved step by step and the technology is becoming increasingly mature.
Too slow transition
In Belgium, the transition to electric driving seems to have accelerated since the beginning of 2025, but we remain below the European average and certainly below our Dutch neighbors. Because Amanda Rasch (DKV Mobility) has a Benelux position, we asked her to respond to the figures for the Belgian market compared to the Dutch market (see box).
“These figures do not surprise me. Sales in the Netherlands also remained low until the government scaled back the tax benefit for diesel and introduced subsidies for electric vehicles. For me, the Belgian figures depend on political measures. Carriers will only invest when the rules surrounding zero-emission zones are clear,” she starts.
Jorg Trippaers, manager of the company of the same name in Genk, just ordered his first electric truck. He confirms that the sense of urgency among entrepreneurs remains limited. The company did not necessarily want to be a pioneer, but Transport Trippaers started it at the request of its customers: today it has customers who explicitly ask for emission-free transport and are willing to pay for it. “We have of course benefited from the premium that Flanders grants, but it is only useful for a limited fleet. The cost of the vehicle remains a major problem in our sector, where margins are very small.”
Pressure on the constructors
“The additional costs should not fall solely on the shoulders of the transporters,” responds Amanda Rasch. “The entire chain must become greener: from producer to consumer. As long as consumers are not prepared to pay more for ‘environmentally friendly’ deliveries or products, it is unfair to place the investment burden solely on the transporters.”
But the pressure on manufacturers is also very high, explains Bart Van Rossen (Ford Pro): “Electrification is both a strategic choice and a necessity because Europe imposes strict CO₂ targets on us. If we want to go from 200 grams of CO₂ per km to an average of 150, we will have to sell a lot of electric vehicles. If we don’t do that, we risk sky-high fines.” That reasoning applies just as well to truck builders.
First experiences
Jorg Trippaers explains that the switch to electric in his company took a year and a half, from the first exploratory discussions to the order: “We then had to wait another six months for delivery. Initially there were a lot of question marks, such as the residual value of the vehicles, the evolution of electricity prices and maintenance costs. Nevertheless, the first experiences are positive. Drivers like to drive electric and are satisfied with the performance of their truck.”
It is true that the project surrounding this first electric truck (short distances, charging on site or at the customer’s) is well suited to electrification. “What remains a challenge is the available loading capacity: when multiple trucks have to load at the same time, the waiting times are unrealistic for our sector. That is why digital planning tools become indispensable. They must not only optimize the routes, but also take into account loading times, charging duration and the availability of the infrastructure.”
Charging en route or ‘at depot’?
DKV Mobility plays a pioneering role in this area, not only with its various payment methods and apps, but also by entering into partnerships with Milence, the new network of fast charging stations that aims to cover the whole of Europe. According to Amanda Rasch, this network is developing, just like the charging stations that the carriers install themselves, but congestion on the electricity transport and distribution network is already a major obstacle, especially in the Netherlands.
In any case, fast charging on the road is financially unfeasible for a carrier like Jorg Trippaers for the time being. But the price of electricity at fast charging stations will fall, according to Amanda Rasch, as the market develops and competition increases, just as happened with diesel.
This is all the more important because studies show that operating costs are the key to a favorable TCO of electric vehicles. In this regard, Bart Van Rossen recalls that the new carbon tax on diesel (ETS2) will increase the diesel price by 12 cents per liter from 2027, an amount that could rise to 40 cents by 2030. This could significantly strengthen the case for electric transport and clearly shows that the authorities can partly steer the market.
The role of government
That is exactly what the German government did by adjusting the kilometer tax based on CO₂ emissions, making electric trucks cheaper than diesels on certain routes, Amanda Rasch emphasizes. The same will apply in the Netherlands from 2026 and temporarily also in Flanders.
What transporters expect above all is predictability, Jorg Trippaers repeats. He does not like to be confronted with uncertainty about tax benefits, deductibility or mileage tax. After all, investments in trucks are spread over many years, while regulations can change in a short time.
What happens next?
Bart Van Rossen expects an acceleration of the electrification of light truck traffic and is counting on the work of a manufacturer such as Ford to convince hesitant customers with ‘Total Cost of Ownership’ calculations and positive feedback from the first users. However, that may not be enough: he also asks for more clarity from policymakers, both European, Belgian and regional. Only then can manufacturers and transporters make long-term plans.
Amanda Rasch concludes with a powerful message: everyone feels the urgency, but that feeling must turn into real urgency: “All links in the chain must be convinced that there is no alternative, no planet B.” Yet she is optimistic for Belgium: “The first steps were also slow in the Netherlands. Within five years we will laugh at the stress we feel today.” Let’s hope she’s right…
