Flemish minister Lydia Peeters visits Daimler Truck Journ.e event in Sint-Truiden

Daimler Truck is organizing 17 Journ.e days this year in five European countries (Italy, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium) during which it will introduce its customers to the star truck brand's e-mobility solutions. On Wednesday, May 30 and Thursday, June 1, it was Belgium's turn. At the Droneport in Sint-Truiden, customers were not only able to learn about the new electric Actros and Econic, but were also updated on the legal and practical state of affairs. On June 1, the Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works also visited the Journ.e to learn about Daimler Truck's ambitious e-mobility plans.

Switching to electric-powered trucks still seems like the future to many, but Daimler Truck is already unpacking an ambitious plan for the future today, requiring 60% of all trucks sold to be either electric or fuel cell powered by 2030. A share that should rise to 100% by 2039, so that by 2050 not a single one of the brand's trucks on the roads should still have a combustion engine on board. Peter Brock, CEO of Daimler Truck Belux, not only explained these plans to the customers present, but together with a number of his direct employees also spoke at length on the subject with Minister Peeters.

Attentive ear

The minister had an attentive ear for Daimler Truck's ambitions and afterwards, aboard the eActros, also got to know driving an electric truck in practice. The minister, who herself has had particularly ambitious plans for electromobility for some time, obviously did not need to be convinced of the environmental potential of emission-free trucks, but the figure of 60% electric Daimler Truck trucks by 2030 was music to her ears.

Concerns

Peter Brock also took the opportunity to present to the minister a number of concerns of the industry in general and Daimler Truck in particular. He highlighted three concerns: the still high investment cost of electric trucks, the charging infrastructure and electric capacity. Pain points that the minster said she was aware of and was trying to adjust through a variety of incentives. Still, she admitted that it remains a difficult race against time. Hopefully Daimler Truck's ambitious plans can convince politicians of the urgency of these concerns.