Switzerland ‘European leader’ for e-trucks

More and more electric lorries: Switzerland is the European leader Keystone-SDA

One in four new lorries registered in Switzerland is now fitted with electric transmission. This makes the Alpine state a European leader in electrified road haulage, reports L’Agefi.

According to figures for the first half of 2026, zero or low-emission vehicles account for 25% of new registrations, overtaking pioneering nations in Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Austria.

Although electric lorries still account for less than 4% of the total fleet of around 50,000 vehicles on the road, growth has been steady and continuous since 2022.

The main driver is the exemption from the performance-based heavy goods vehicle tax (TTPCP), according to the L’Agefi newspaper. This is a levy calculated on the basis of kilometres travelled, weight and the vehicle’s emissions category.

The exemption translates into huge savings for hauliers. Volvo calculates that one of its e-trucks can save over CHF550,000 by 2035, assuming 100,000 kilometres per year.

Tax breaks

A spokesperson for the Geneva-based International Road Transport Union (IRU), which represents the interests of hauliers, the TTPCP is one of the highest kilometre-based charges in Europe.

But Switzerland has managed to implement a system that allows for a transition over a sufficiently long period, enabling companies to plan their fleet renewal with confidence.

In comments made to the Geneva-based newspaper, the IRU also pointed to decades of policies aimed at shifting transalpine traffic from road to rail Some 66% of journeys take place within the country’s borders – an ideal scenario for electric vehicles.

“With over 1,300 vehicles, we are in a position to play a leading and pioneering role for the entire sector,” Peter Ballmer, an executive at the Lucerne-based Galliker Transport, told L’Agefi. The company has already put 109 electric lorries on the road by 2025 and plans to reach a total of 214 alternative-fuel vehicles by 2027, with the stated aim of electrifying 650 lorries over the next ten years.

This would correspond to a reduction of 48,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year. The company will invest over CHF120 million between 2026 and 2030 on charging infrastructure alone.

Extra costs

Canton Aargau-based Schoeni Transport has also begun the transition, using 15 electric lorries out of the 250 vehicles deployed in domestic transport, powered by a charging network supplied by solar panels.

But one operator points out that an electric lorry costs significantly more to buy, with a price ranging between CHF280,000 and CHF320,000. This is almost double the cost of a diesel truck, while installing charging points costs an extra CHF60,000-CHF80,000.

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Translated from Italian, reviewed by an English Department journalist.