The Future for Heavy-Duty Vehicles in the Pentalateral Region: Integrating Electromobility in the Energy Transition

Webinar

Co-organised by

Road freight transportation accounts for around 8% of global CO2 emissions per year — 2.9 Gt CO2. Countries are increasing their efforts to decarbonise this sector. Among the options being considered, fleets of electric trucks are attracting more attention due to the availability of clean and low-cost renewable electricity. However, the pathway for the development and deployment of e-trucks is unclear, where technology, regulatory, financial and policy aspects, covering both transport and energy sectors, need to support country plans. Particularly, the implications of a rapid uptake of e-trucks for electricity systems need to be better understood. The aim is to identify strategies that minimise any potential risk for the electricity system while maximising the benefits for the road freight and renewable power sectors.

The Pentalateral Energy Forum — Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland — as a front runner in implementing ambitious climate strategies, will discuss the role of electric trucks in decarbonising the transport sector and the nexus between the energy and road freight sectors. IRENA, the Benelux Secretariat – Pentalateral Forum, Transport & Environment and ChargePoint, will organise the virtual event 'Which future for heavy-duty vehicles in the Penta region? Integrating electromobility in the energy transition', with the aim to foster cross-border and cross-sector — transport and energy — cooperation on heavy-duty vehicles (HDV).

The virtual conference was moderated by H.E. Claude Turmes, Minister for Energy and Spatial Planning of Luxembourg. The event featured 4 panels with experts, on the following topics: charging infrastructure, financial models & public incentives, HVD and power systems integration, and the EU legal framework.

Agenda

[15:30 -15:45] Welcoming remarks and introduction

  • H. E. Claude Turmes, Luxembourg Minister of Energy and Spatial Planning
  • Sandor Gaastra, Director-General of Climate & Energy at the Ministry of Economic Affairs - Penta Presidency
  • Dolf Gielen, Director, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

[15:45 – 16:15] Panel 1 - What comes first: Charging points vs e-HDVs

  • Henrik Engdahl, Chief Engineer -Charging, Volvo Group
  • Ricky van Soest, Project leader – DHL Express, in charge of Flex EV project in Rotterdam
  • Leah O’Dwyer, Head of Bus & Trucks Charging ChargePoint
  • Johan Peeters, Head of e-Mobility Solutions Development

[16:15 – 16:45] Panel 2 – How to build a business case for e-HDVs: Financial models and public incentives

  • Marc Frank, Strategy & Innovation Director, DPD Switzerland
  • Cristiano Façanha, Global Director, CALSTART (California)
  • Axel Volkery, Team Leader for Clean Transport DG MOVE, European Commission

[16:45 – 17:00] Break

[17:00 – 17:45] Panel 3 – The impact on the energy network: Nexus between, HDV, power systems and renewables

  • Laurent Schmitt, Secretary-General, ENTSO-e
  • Uroš Salobir, Vice-Chair, RDIC ENTSO-e; Director of Strategic Innovation Department, ELES
  • Onoph Caron, Director, Elaad
  • Bastian Pfarrherr, Head of Innovation Management, Stromnetz Hamburg
  • Ed Pike, Senior Utilities Engineer, California Public Utilities Commission

[17:45 – 18:15] Panel 4 – The role of regional cooperation: The Pentalateral Energy Forum within the EU legal framework

  • Tiziana Frongia, Director Freight Transport & Environment
  • Mariette van Empel, Director Sustainable Mobility and Transport programme Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management
  • Artur Runge-Metzger, Director Climate strategy, DG CLIMA European Commission

[18:15 -18:30] Next steps and closing remarks

  • Jan Molema, Benelux Secretariat
  • Dolf Gielen, Director, IRENA
  • H. E. Claude Turmes, Luxembourg Minister of Energy and Spatial Planning

Download the presentation slide deck.