Enhancing Sustainability and Efficiency in Log Transportation Through the Electrification of the Powertrain

The forestry sector plays a crucial role in sustainable resource management, providing essential raw materials while striving to minimize environmental impact. In timber logistics, heavy-duty trucks transporting logs through forested regions are predominantly powered by fossil fuels, resulting in high amounts of CO₂ emissions. Given the industry’s growing commitment to sustainability, powertrain electrification offers a promising challenge to enhance environmental responsibility while optimizing energy consumption.
To analyse this potential, vehicle information and GPS-data are recorded from trucks transporting logs in a typical mountainous forest environment. Based on these data, the vehicle’s energy consumption and annual emissions are calculated. Due to the dynamic nature of the route, simulations with electric trucks are carried out to assess energy recuperation potential. Building on the calculated energy consumption, the study proceeds to assess the ecological and economic benefits of electrification, comparing the electric truck’s performances with their diesel-powered counterparts.
The results show that battery-electric trucks are technically feasible for log transport, even on demanding forest roads. Energy recuperation during downhill driving significantly reduces overall consumption, enabling CO2 emission reductions of up to 88%. A detailed cost analysis based on Total Cost of Ownership reveals that despite higher initial acquisition costs, electric trucks offer notable economic advantages through reduced tolls, energy costs, and maintenance. Besides a considerable reduction of environmental impact, significant savings can be achieved over a typical five-year operating period of an average timber logistics truck, with a financial break-even point after 2 to 3 years.