Trucking – electrification realities: scaling-up, barriers and the road to decarbonization 1.3 Trucking contributes 5% of global CO2e emissions.43Introduction The decarbonization of medium- and heavy- duty (MHD) trucking44 sits at an intersection of technology, infrastructure and capital deployment. With the range of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) improving, power grids becoming more resilient and various policy-makers tightening diesel regulations, fleet operators are shifting from the theoretical aspects of decarbonization strategy to the practical question of implementation. This chapter explores this mindset shift from the vantage point of the supplier — from planning to operationalizing change. This chapter presents the perspectives of a small but diverse set of trucking and logistics pioneers who are not only committing to the offtake of zero-emission trucks but, more importantly, leading their real-world operations. While what follows is in no way an exhaustive industry census, it does represent a curated scan of the pathways that credible actors, across various regions and global supply chains, believe can lead to the widespread decarbonization of medium- and heavy-duty trucking. The framing is region-agnostic but region-aware. Rather than crown a single “right” model, a more useful way forward is to ask the question: What would have to be true, operationally, financially and institutionally, for a respective fleet’s decarbonization to scale up? Two convictions run through these interviews. First, the interviewed subset of suppliers largely finds electrification emerging as the anchor pathway for decarbonizing their medium to heavy road freight services — not because alternatives are unviable, but because advances in batteries, power electronics and grid integration are compounding faster than competing options. Second, a strong supplier consensus that electrification is not simply a truck problem — it’s a systems problem, encompassing utilization, corridor charging density, interconnection timelines, software-driven orchestration and the financing of the actual “steel in the ground”. Two main bottlenecks stand out: –Infrastructure versus timeframe: Charging infrastructure deployment and grid upgrades remain opaque, fragmented and slow relative to corporate targets. –Utilization versus economic viability: Total cost of ownership (TCO) parity depends heavily on consistent BEV utilization; idle assets can erase expected savings overnight. The state of electrification of medium- and heavy-duty (MHD) trucking The electrification of MHD trucking is growing globally, but it remains in the early adoption phase compared to light commercial vehicles. In 2024, over 90,000 electric trucks were sold globally with year-on-year growth of almost 80% from 2021.45 In the EU, sales of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles increased from 11,000 in 2023 to 14,000 in 2024; meanwhile, light- and medium-duty trucks accounted for 6% of the bloc’s zero-emission truck sales in 2023, growing to 10% in 2024.46 China is also showing strong uptake, with sales of electric MHD trucks doubling between 2023 and 2024. In 2024 China sold over 80% of the total number of electric trucks sold globally.47 Forecasts generally remain bullish: one recent analysis projected the global heavy-duty EV truck market would expand at ~20 % CAGR up to 2030, as expected policy incentives, falling battery costs and shipper sustainability commitments converge.48 We believe electrification is the optimal solution for Europe, while regions like Sub- Saharan Africa face challenges such as road quality and security that currently limit adoption. However, with rapid advances in batteries, especially from China, combined with microgrid technologies, I’m convinced that Sub-Saharan Africa could leapfrog ahead and surpass Europe in vehicle electrification within the next five years if action begins now. Nicholas Mazzei, Vice President Sustainability, DP World Turning Challenge into Opportunity: Supplier Voices from Heavy-Emitting Sectors 22

Turning Challenge into Opportunity 2025