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This paper discusses the feasibility of electrifying medium to heavy urban goods distribution trucks. As a case study, an existing transport system in the Swedish city of Gothenburg is used. The project is a joint research effort between a vehicle OEM, an electric utility, a fleet operator, the Swedish Transport Administration and two research organizations. One main objective is to determine if and when different electrified powertrains are cost efficient to the end user. The results indicate that by 2015 conventional powertrains are still probably the most cost effective alternative in all applications studied. But in 2025, electrified powertrains are most cost efficient for most transport scenarios. These results indicate a transition in preferred powertrain technology for urban trucks within the coming ten years. It is important to point out that this result may not be general.

In the near future electric vehicles are expected to become ever more common. Due to the comparably low energy density of batteries in relation to the liquid fuels of today, vehicles will be required to recharge more often. In many cases this can be achieved in private premises such as private garages where billing for consumed energy is not a problem. However a large part of the population living in cities around the world relies on roadside parking where convenient billing for consumed energy is of interest. Charging of a large fleet of electric vehicles might also pose a significant threat to the stability of the electrical grid. For this purpose demand side management has appeared as a way to negotiate the risks. Both automated billing and demand side management require information to be transmitted between the consumer and external partners. In this paper we compare different ways to fulfill this need for information exchange and propose a cost efficient solution.