trans.info — 2026-06-29
Land transportation
Logistics is on track to become a heavyweight power user
Electrifying freight transport would have far-reaching consequences for Germany’s energy system. According to an analysis by the Institute for Automotive Engineering (ika) at RWTH Aachen University, the logistics sector’s electricity consumption could rise from around 21 terawatt-hours today to 186 terawatt-hours in 2045. That would equate to roughly 14% of Germany’s projected total power consumption.
The study, commissioned by the DSLV Bundesverband Spedition und Logistik, examines energy demand linked to logistics properties as well as road and rail freight between 2025 and 2045.
Most of the increase is expected to come from road haulage. For 2045, the study attributes about 155.8 terawatt-hours (around 83.8% of the total) to battery-electric trucks. Logistics buildings are projected to require another 22.3 terawatt-hours, while rail freight is estimated at 7.8 terawatt-hours.
Electric trucks are the main driver
The calculations are based on European CO2 requirements for heavy-duty vehicles. In the study’s baseline scenario, manufacturers largely meet fleet targets, and locally emission-free vehicles account for the majority of new registrations by 2040.
"Electrifying vehicle fleets is a key part of the technology mix needed to decarbonise freight in an environmentally and economically sustainable way", said Prof. Dr. Lutz Eckstein, head of the Institute for Automotive Engineering at RWTH Aachen.
The shift would, however, drive a sharp increase in electricity demand.
By 2035, logistics could use more electricity than steel and chemicals combined
One of the most notable milestones in the study is 2035. By then, logistics electricity demand could already reach 109.6 terawatt-hours a year.
DSLV notes that this figure is more than four times the electricity demand shown for the steel industry in the McKinsey transformation pathway, and around 60% higher than the chemical industry’s demand.
This would put logistics in more direct competition with traditional energy-intensive industries, both for available electricity and for grid capacity.
Why rooftop solar won’t solve the problem
A central finding concerns how much of this demand the sector could realistically cover through self-generation.
Warehouses and distribution centres offer large roof areas, creating significant potential for photovoltaic systems. RWTH Aachen estimates that installed photovoltaic capacity on logistics properties could rise to 22.6 gigawatts-peak by 2045, producing around 20.5 terawatt-hours of electricity a year.
Even so, that would cover only about 11% of the sector’s projected total electricity demand.
When presenting the results, the researchers stressed that the widely cited 11% is a simple comparison of potential generation and required energy volumes. It does not address whether electricity would be available at the times it is needed.
Timing is a key constraint: photovoltaic output peaks during the day, while many battery-electric trucks are expected to charge overnight at depots and yards.
Closing that gap would require additional battery storage and/or sufficient grid capacity. The researchers also noted that the study assessed rooftop potential only and does not determine whether individual sites could reach high levels of self-sufficiency through a combination of photovoltaics, storage and smart load management. For the logistics sector as a whole, however, broad self-supply is not considered realistic.
Peak loads add another layer of pressure
Beyond total energy volumes, the study also highlights the challenge of peak power demand.
It forecasts peak loads of up to 57 gigawatts. These spikes could occur on winter weekdays in the early evening, when several demand centres coincide, such as trucks charging at depots, electricity use in logistics buildings and rail freight operations.
RWTH Aachen calculates that this would be equivalent to around 70% of today’s German system peak.
The study therefore underlines that the freight transition is not only about generating more electricity. Grid reinforcement and sufficient connection capacity at logistics sites are also critical.
DSLV calls for logistics to be treated as an energy-policy priority
For DSLV, the findings have implications beyond the transport and logistics sector.
The association argues that electrifying freight is increasingly an energy-policy task and wants the sector to be more prominently reflected in national energy planning.
"The results of the RWTH study make the need for political action impossible to ignore", said DSLV chief executive Frank Huster.
Transforming freight transport is not only a transport-policy issue, but first and foremost an energy-industry challenge. Without expanding generation capacity, building stronger grids, ensuring competitive electricity prices and creating predictable investment conditions, the energy and drivetrain transition will not succeed.
Huster is calling for faster grid expansion, competitive electricity pricing, and improved conditions for investment in charging infrastructure, battery storage and on-site power generation.
The logistics sector must be treated in energy policy on an equal footing with major industrial consumers, the DSLV chief executive added.
Not just a transport story
The study underlines that electrifying road freight would change more than fleets and operating routines. It would also reshape what Germany’s energy system must deliver.
While debates around electric HGVs often focus on vehicles and charging points, RWTH Aachen’s figures put a different question at the centre: whether sufficient electricity, grid capacity and storage will be available to make the transition feasible.
For DSLV, the conclusion is that the logistics energy transition will not be decided only on the road, but increasingly in the power system.