The global road-transport sector is speeding toward electrification. From delivery vans to heavy-duty trucks, the transition to zero-emission transport is gathering momentum. Yet despite clear climate ambitions and growing regulatory pressure, many operators still face the same fundamental obstacle: the high upfront cost of electric vehicles and the infrastructure needed to keep them running.
A new briefing by the International Road Transport Union (IRU) and strategic partner DLL, “Options on the table: Financing commercial electric vehicles”, lays out how innovative financing models can unlock large-scale adoption of e-mobility across the transport industry.
According to IRU’s latest survey, operators are fully committed to decarbonisation, but the price premium for battery-electric trucks remains a significant barrier. While the total cost of ownership (TCO) of EVs is often competitive over the vehicle’s lifetime, thanks to lower energy and maintenance costs, the initial investment still deters many companies.
Here, leasing and flexible financing play a crucial role. “Flexible leasing allows companies to spread out the cost over time and access the latest technology,” explains Nick Antoniou, Global Head of e-Mobility Finance at DLL. Such models support the entire lifecycle of transport assets—from vehicles and batteries to charging infrastructure—helping operators manage both financial and operational risks.
The briefing also points to deeper structural challenges: limited charging capacity, uncertainty about vehicle range in extreme weather, and strong regional disparities in electric-vehicle sales. In the EU, Germany accounted for 40% of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicle sales in Q1 2024, while France dropped sharply to 11% in the same period. These trends underscore the importance of targeted financing and policy support to maintain momentum.
Beyond vehicles, the financial sector sees new growth opportunities. The IRU-DLL report estimates that full-service leasing, vehicle-subscription models, and finance for used EVs could generate up to €25 billion in additional revenue for mobility-finance providers by 2030.
For logistics and transport operators, these solutions are already proving transformative. One example is Picnic, the online supermarket that expanded its German electric delivery fleet through DLL financing, freeing up capital to reinvest in its core operations.
As public and private investment in e-mobility accelerates, financing becomes the critical bridge between ambition and deployment. Well-designed financial instruments—complemented by regulatory incentives, tax credits, and infrastructure support—will determine how fast commercial fleets can go electric.
Source: IRU