More and more electric lorries: Switzerland is the European leader
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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.
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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.
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.
