MAN Truck & Bus and the Dettendorfer forwarding company have been testing the night-time use of fully electric trucks on a Brenner route between Raubling and Bolzano since mid-July for four weeks as part of a pilot project. Due to the existing exemption from the night driving ban on the Inntal motorway (A12), E-trucks are allowed to drive at night, unlike diesel trucks. The "night jump" over the Brenner has basically been possible since 2021. Georg Dettendorfer, managing director of the Dettendorfer forwarding company:
“For us, it is clear: If we want to achieve the shift to climate-friendly logistics, we need solutions that work in everyday life – across national borders and without restrictions on service promises.”
The family-run forwarding company has already been testing alternative drives in real-world operation for several years and now also for the first time in cross-border night operations.
Approximately 95 tons of CO₂ savings per vehicle annually
The current pilot project aims to alleviate traffic flows at the Brenner, avoid traffic jams, reduce CO₂ and noise emissions, and increase supply security, according to project participants. Dr. Frederik Zohm, Executive Board Research & Development at MAN Truck & Bus:
“Electric heavy-duty logistics is revolutionizing road freight transport – even under the most demanding topographical conditions prevailing in alpine regions. With this project, we show that fully electric trucks are not only practical but also set new efficiency, sustainability, and traffic management through recuperation and the possibility of night-time transports, among
other things. Politics and industry must work hand in hand to make emission-free logistics a reality on a large scale.”
A model calculation, for example, shows that already 300 E-trucks used at night could reduce the daytime block handling in Kufstein by up to one hour. At the same time, E-trucks would make an important contribution to climate protection, as each E-truck saves around 95 tons of CO₂ annually with a mileage of 110,000 kilometers on average. Even with 300 vehicles daily, this results in a savings potential of up to 28,000 tons of CO₂ per year, equivalent to the emissions of a small town. Dettendorfer also emphasizes:
“We want to do something for the environment but also remain economically viable.”
More charging stations needed at the Brenner
And Christian Bernreiter, Bavarian Minister of State for Housing, Building, and Transport, further explains:
“E-trucks can be an important part of the solution for alpine freight transport on the Brenner route. If we take the traffic transition seriously, we must also make road freight transport more sustainable. The night-time use of eTrucks shows: Less CO₂, less noise, and better utilization of the infrastructure are possible. This is an important signal for green commercial vehicle corridors throughout Europe.”
Now it is important to expand the charging infrastructure consistently and across borders, says Bernreiter. Dettendorfer also sees the urgency for new charging points for E-trucks in cross-border traffic from Germany, Austria, and Italy. Dettendorfer:
“It would be good if
new E-charging stations were built on the Brenner motorway.”
Currently, charging in Raubling can be done at around 0.41 Euro/kWh at night, and in Bolzano at about 0.38 Euro/kWh. In addition, recuperation on the mountainous route increases according to the manufacturer to up to 40 percent. While brake energy in diesel trucks is lost unused, the E-truck stores it back as electricity into the battery.
On the Brenner route, an E-truck, according to MAN Truck & Bus, is not only useful for avoiding block handling and traffic jams but also in economic terms. Additionally, with an annual mileage of over 110,000 kilometers on German highways, there is an annual toll saving of over 60,000 Euro per vehicle.
Toll exemption is limited
However, the 100 percent toll exemption currently applies exclusively to Germany. On the A13 in Austria, E-trucks are only charged up to 75 percent less toll, especially at night. In Italy, on the Brenner route to Bolzano, there are few differences between diesel and E-trucks in terms of tolls.
EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas recently recommended extending the toll reduction for E-trucks, which is currently limited until the end of 2025, to mid-2031. The goal is to increase investment security for logistics companies and accelerate the switch to e-mobility. Dettendorfer emphatically states in this regard:
“The toll exemption must continue to exist in the future to support the ramp-up of the vehicles. As logistic providers, we need sustainability and consistency in politics and thus
planning security.”
According to the manufacturer, over a runtime of three years and a typical truck use scenario, the toll saving of an E-truck contributes to an overall cost advantage of over 15 percent compared to diesel-powered vehicles on the Brenner route. Additionally, lower energy and maintenance costs, exemption from vehicle tax, and the increasingly available charging infrastructure along the Brenner route would be added. Rene Zumtobel, Tyrolean Regional Councilor for Transport, Environment, and Nature Conservation:
“E-mobility is the future. E-trucks must be seen as a bridging technology.”
Noisedifference of about twelve decibels
Battery-electric trucks, according to the project participants, also reduce noise emissions compared to diesel trucks. In acoustic tests, the E-truck was perceived as about half as loud as a conventional diesel when accelerating. Specifically, there is a level difference of about twelve decibels. This corresponds to the difference between a major road and a quiet street in a residential area.
Refrigerated transports over the Brenner
With the MAN E-truck, which has been produced in series in Munich since June 2025, daily ranges of up to 800 kilometers can be achieved with an intermediate charge in winter and summer, according to the manufacturer. Thus, the E-truck can operate cross-border at night on the entire route between Germany and Italy and thus, for example, from Munich to Verona or from Rosenheim over the Brenner to Bolzano and back. This is also interesting for transports in the refrigerated and pharmaceutical logistics or with time-critical supply
