What does an electric truck or bus deliver?
Compare diesel and charging cost per vehicle and per charge point, and see how fast your charging infrastructure pays back.
Energy instead of diesel
An electric truck runs at a fraction of the diesel cost per km, especially when charging at the depot.
Calculated per charge point
See what each charge point costs and returns, including commissioning and monitoring.
Less CO2
Tens of tonnes less CO2 per truck per year.
For trucks and heavy vehicles
Distribution and logistics
Trucks that return to the depot every night charge cheaply on a DS600 with DT300 overhead dispensers.
City and regional buses
Buses charge at the depot after service. A cabinet with satellites shares power across the whole fleet.
Coaches and long haul
Fast stops on a DH240 or DH480 keep schedules realistic, even on long routes.
Municipal vehicles
Refuse and construction trucks drive short, fixed routes and save a lot on fuel and maintenance.
Where does the fuel saving come from?
A diesel truck easily uses 28 litres per 100 km, an electric truck around 110 kWh. Charging at your own depot on a business night tariff usually cuts the energy cost per kilometre by more than half. On top of that come lower maintenance costs: no oil, filters, AdBlue or clutch, and less brake wear thanks to regeneration. And the road charge weighs far less: since 1 July 2026 a heavy Euro 6 diesel truck pays 0.285 euro per kilometre in Flanders, a zero emission truck 0.038 euro.
Difference and advantage versus a diesel truck
The calculator shows the numbers. This is what an electric truck does differently from a diesel in practice, and what to keep in mind yourself.
Energy per kilometre
An e-truck charges overnight at the depot's off-peak rate. Per kilometre, electricity is cheaper than diesel, and the electricity price is more stable.
Kilometre charge
In Flanders and Brussels a heavy diesel truck pays 0.285 euro per km, a zero-emission truck 0.038 euro per km. At 100,000 km a year that saves almost 25,000 euro per vehicle.
Maintenance and wear
No oil changes, no particulate filter or turbo, and brakes last longer thanks to regeneration. Maintenance is up to half lower per kilometre.
Vehicle tax
A zero-emission vehicle is fully exempt from the annual Flemish vehicle tax.
Emission zones and city deliveries
Low-emission zones stay accessible without exemptions, and an electric truck is quiet: charging early or in residential areas is no problem.
Driving comfort
No vibrations, no engine noise and a calm drivetrain. You notice that on long trips, and it helps attract drivers.
Honest caveats
- The purchase price is higher: count on roughly 150,000 euro extra per tractor.
- You need a charging setup at the depot, with the matching investment (see the calculation below).
- Range and charging time require planning: match daily consumption against the available charging window.
- The residual value of electric trucks is less known than for diesel.
Calculation per charge point
All values are editable example values.
Fleet and project
Diesel
- Fuel or energy
- €51,240.00
- Road user charge
- €28,500.00
- Maintenance and repairs
- €15,800.00
Operating cost per vehicle per year
€95,540.00
Electric
- Fuel or energy
- €27,500.00
- Road user charge
- €3,800.00
- Maintenance and repairs
- €10,500.00
Operating cost per vehicle per year
€41,800.00
Battery and solar (optional)
Add a battery or solar panels to use electricity from your own roof at night and limit peak power on the grid connection.
Estimate, excl. VAT: a 225 kWh battery module with 110 kW power costs about 65,000 euro, solar about 900 euro per kWp installed, 900 kWh per kWp per year in Belgium. Without a battery, with overnight charging only 25% of solar power is used on site, the rest is exported at 0.03 euro per kWh. Subsidies and capacity tariff are not included.
Sources
- Road charge: Viapass, Flemish road charge for vehicles over 32 tonnes, tariffs since 1 July 2026 (Euro 6 diesel class 1: 0.285 euro per km, zero emission: 0.038 euro per km). viapass.be
- Diesel: official maximum rate for Diesel B7 from FPS Economy, rate 2026/203 (valid from 21 October 2026): €2.0198 per litre excl. VAT, minus the professional diesel excise refund (FPS Finance, €0.1913 per litre in 2026) = €1.83 per litre. Depot delivery is often cheaper. finances.belgium.be
- Electricity: €0.25 per kWh excl. VAT, indicative. Wholesale price per the CREG dashboard of September 2026 (Endex Power BE Y+1: €103 per MWh), plus Fluvius network tariffs, levies and supplier margin; depends on connection and contract. creg.be
- Maintenance: ICCT, A total cost of ownership comparison of truck decarbonization pathways in Europe (November 2023), model year 2023. Regional truck: maintenance €0.158 per km diesel and €0.105 electric (ICCT), purchase €125,000 and €260,000 (Blulinc estimate). Long-haul tractor: €0.185 and €0.132 per km, €152,000 and €354,000 (ICCT). Buses and municipal vehicles remain Belgian market estimates. Electric truck prices are falling fast: ask for a current quote.
- CPO costs: any transaction and management fees of your charge point operator are not included in this calculation, request them from your CPO.
Summary: saving and payback
Saving per vehicle per year
€53,740.00
Diesel versus electric, per vehicle per year
Net result over the period
On request
Saving over the period, investment included
Payback time
2.5 years
Investment divided by the net annual saving
CO2 saving per year
574 t
Less CO2 emissions from the fleet per year
Electric is cheaper than diesel, all-in
Cumulative costs per year
DieselElectricSaving over 7 years: €2,373,190.00
Saving per year
Investment (one-off, all-in)
Total costs over the period
Charging window
The charging window is sufficient: 46 kW needed per charge point, 60 kW available.
Calculated with list prices. Hardware prices come live from our price list. Diesel price excl. VAT on depot delivery, after recovery of professional diesel excise duty (0.1913 euro per litre in 2026). Road charge per the Flemish tariff since 1 July 2026 for over 32 tonnes: Euro 6 diesel in CO2 class 1 at 0.285 euro per km, zero emission at 0.038 euro per km. Buses pay no road charge. Indicative, excl. VAT, without cables, grid connection or vehicle maintenance.
Investment
| Extra cost of the electric vehicle | €135,000.00 |
| Extra cost for 10 vehicles | €1,350,000.00 |
| Charger per charge point | On request |
| Installation or commissioning per point | €249.00 |
| Total per charge point | On request |
| Total for 10 charge points | €2,490.00 |
| Total investment | €1,352,490.00 |
Result over 7 years
| Operating saving all vehicles per year | €537,400.00 |
| 24/7 monitoring per year | - €960.00 |
| Support and updates subscription per year (90% uptime and success rate guarantee) | - €4,200.00 |
| Net saving per year | €532,240.00 |
| Net saving over the period | €3,725,680.00 |
| Total investment | - €1,352,490.00 |
| Net result over the period | €2,373,190.00 |
| Payback time | 2.5 years |