Hva den kommersielle elbilindustrien kan lære av Nederland

The Netherlands – with perhaps one cautious eye on its low-lying geography and rising sea levels – is developing an ambitious policy framework and local manufacturing base to decarbonize vehicles with the most intensive duty cycles.

Selv om det er tidlig, vil andre land være lurt å overvåke Nederland for å se hvor effektiv politikken er og hvor raskt dens produksjonsekspertise kan skaleres og eksporteres for å utvide elektrifiseringen av nyttekjøretøy.

There are three policy areas where the Netherlands is making substantial progress versus other countries. First, it has announced in December 2021 the "Clean and Emission-Free Construction Material Subsidy Scheme (SSEB)." €270m will be available for the scheme up to 2030 for either the purchase of zero emission construction machines, or the retrofit of older machines. Depending upon the size of the company, up to 50 percent of the purchase price can be recovered. Second, the Netherlands signed up to the Global Memorandum of Understanding on Zero Emission Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles at COP 26 which commits it to targets of 30 percent of new medium and heavy-duty vehicles being zero emission by 2030 and 100 percent by 2040. Third, nearly 30 cities across the Netherlands have pledged to establish zero emission zones by 2025 which will effectively ban polluting delivery and goods vehicles.

Innenlands driver selskaper som VDL allerede den elektriske bussrevolusjonen over hele Europa. Fast støtte i hjemmemarkedet vil hjelpe dem til å fortsette sin markedsledende tilstedeværelse. DAF har vært tregere når det gjelder utvikling av elektrifiserte lastebiler, men dette nye innenrikspolitiske fokuset vil bidra til å legge grunnlaget for vekst rundt om i Europa ettersom andre land følger samme rute som Nederland.

And it isn't just on-road OEMs that are benefitting. Limach – which specializes in 'upfitting' excavators to be electric – has developed a range of electric excavators and, recently, BAM commissioned Wirtgen and New Electric to develop a battery electric asphalt paver.

There are many suppliers – large and small- in the Netherlands will benefit from this national policy too. Smesh have developed an innovative e-axle that can be used to greatly improve the overall efficiency of electric heavy-duty vehicles. And it goes wider to products used for refueling of electric vehicles. DENS is working on a power generator for construction sites that is fueled with hydrozine (formic acid). The formic acid is converted into hydrogen with CO2 capture possible, meaning zero emission refueling of electric machinery in off-grid locations.