What major challenges are there for logistics operators of light and heavy-duty trucks in electrifying their fleets? And how can cities and regions support this transition? That is what the new SELECT project is exploring.
The SELECT project, which is funded by the Interreg North Sea Region (NSR), is gathering local and regional authorities and business support organizations from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, and Sweden. With the overall objective to showcase a framework for interaction between local and regional public authorities and logistics stakeholders to accelerate the electrification of commercial logistics fleets and adopt digital solutions for sharing charging infrastructure serving as best practice to other authorities in the NSR, the project is now up and running.
Reducing emissions from the transport sector is vital to reaching global, European and national climate goals and exploring the prerequisites for accelerating charging infrastructure for the transport sector can play a big part in reaching the goals, speeding up the electrification of the sector. The project partners will now work within their respective regions to find out what possibilities there are for expanding charging infrastructure – combining their results within the project and thereby creating a more comprehensive roadmap for charging in a larger region.
"The Capital Region of Denmark, through initiatives like Copenhagen Electric, has always been at the forefront of advancing green transportation. We aim to contribute significantly to the project's goals of analyzing energy needs and supporting the transition to electric logistics fleets. This project is a natural extension of our efforts to push the boundaries of sustainable mobility and energy efficiency, sharing knowledge and innovative solutions across borders" says Gent Grinvalds, Capital Region of Denmark.
The project aims to gather a lot of different actors to fully grasp the complexity of the issue.
“Within the province of North Brabant, we are tackling immense challenges regarding congestion in the electricity grid. Together with our partners in SELECT, we want to investigate how we can best support logistic operators as well as work together with different public authorities on all levels (EU, national, regional, local) to enable and further accelerate the transition towards zero emission logistics” Zebaish Masood North Brabant.
”As Logistics Initiative Hamburg (LIHH) in the vibrant North Sea Region, we actively participate in this groundbreaking project. Through our involvement, we aim to drive innovation, strengthen regional collaboration, and set a sustainable example for our city and beyond. Together, we aspire to shape a future where green logistics practices thrive and inspire worldwide“ says Amir Ali Bashash, Logistik-Initiative Hamburg Management GmbH.
The project will explore important aspects of accelerating the scaling up of electric fleets, including policies and services that could aid the transition.
“Logistics traffic is a great part of all the traffic flows in cities. Developing policy to make this traffic more sustainable is a key assignment of European cities. Within the project we want to investigate how the electrification of the logistics fleet will further develop and what the role of cities should be” says Veerle De Meyer, Stad Mechelen.
The project will engage stakeholders through interviews, surveys and workshops during its almost two-year long project period. Keep yourself updated at the project website or by reaching out to any project partner so as not to miss our events!
Project partners are Provincie Noord-Brabant, Logistik Initiative Hamburg, Region Hovedstaden, Stad Mechelen, and Lindholmen Science Park, and EIT Urban Mobility will aid the project by arranging workshops.
“Urban mobility and transport causes roughly a third of cities’ emissions – with logistics playing a big part. This is why implementing more energy-efficient solutions to reduce logistics emissions quickly is one of the key needs of EU cities and their citizens to evolve towards more sustainable and liveable cities. The cross-country collaboration of the SELECT project will help push this transitional change towards climate-neutral transport fleets throughout the EU, a key priority for EIT Urban Mobility” Says Anders Bengtsson, EIT Urban Mobility
SELECT is funded by Interreg North Sea Region