Municipalities often assume that introducing or expanding a zero-emission zone (ZE zone) will be enough to decarbonize urban logistics. The reality is more complex. According to the latest figures from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), more than 50,000 electric light commercial vehicles (LCVs) are currently on the road in the Netherlands. Yet adoption is far from rapid.
The share of electric vans in new registrations in the Netherlands dropped to just over 40 percent in the final quarter of 2025. For the full year, the share reached 75 percent, but total registrations were more than 60 percent lower than the previous year. A similar pattern can be seen in trucks: 7 percent of new truck registrations are now electric, while only 1.3 percent of the national truck fleet is zero-emission.
Limited impact so far
The impact of ZE zones on municipal climate targets remains limited. Nationwide exemptions related to issues such as grid congestion allow companies to defer investments in electrification, slowing progress relative to what many municipal climate plans assumed. Moreover, ZE zones focus primarily on tailpipe emissions, while broader urban challenges—such as congestion, traffic safety, and scarce street space—are only indirectly affected.
Pilot projects and procurement processes show that other interventions can be more effective. Several cities are experimenting with public-private consolidation of waste collection, reducing the number of vehicles required and enabling shared charging infrastructure. In construction logistics, zero-emission procurement stimulates load bundling and more efficient route planning.
Electrification also requires far more from transport operators than simply ordering new vehicles. Optimal fleet strategy after 2025 depends on battery configuration, driving range, charging times, access to energy, and financing. Large fleets face delays due to grid congestion and slow connection upgrades; small and medium-sized operators confront organizational and financial complexity. This creates an uneven playing field in which access to capital, locations, and energy determines who can transition and who cannot.
A demanding transition for business
Decarbonizing logistics does not start with purchasing trucks, but with determining the right fleet strategy and vehicle mix. One-to-one replacement of diesel vehicles with electric models is seldom optimal. Price incentives have a limited impact, as logistics costs can often be passed on to customers. Industry experts note that only clear CO₂ performance standards for shippers and carriers will drive structural reductions in emissions.
Companies that do commit to electrification demonstrate that it can be both operationally viable and cost-effective, provided the transition is managed carefully—both in scaling up electric fleets and phasing out conventionally powered vehicles. In projects such as Albert Heijn’s fully electric home-delivery operation in the Amsterdam region, the combination of vehicle type, charging infrastructure, warehouse design, and workforce planning proved decisive.
The first step for operators is to analyze trip patterns, energy demand, and vehicle utilization. Smart charging, better planning, and fewer trips reduce both operational costs and electricity needs. The most sustainable energy remains the energy that is never consumed.
From zero-emission to zero-impact
The policy discussion is shifting from “zero-emission” to “zero-impact”: fewer trips, fewer vehicle-kilometers, and safer, more pleasant streets. Under that framework, ZE zones are not the end goal but one instrument within a broader strategy. The transition accelerates only when measures are available, reliable, and affordable for operators.
For municipalities, the key is to engage directly with the companies entering the city every day. What do they need to deliver with fewer vehicles, zero tailpipe emissions, and higher safety? Measures should then be prioritized based on actual CO₂-reduction potential.
The experience so far suggests that ZE zones alone are insufficient to decarbonize urban logistics. They are not an automatic “no-regret” measure; they only become part of the solution when they are workable for operators. Only then will the transition truly accelerate.
Walther Ploos van Amstel.