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Battery Electric versus Diesel Trucks in Agricultural Logistics: Insights from Real-World Milk Collection Data
Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org
Citation: 2026 ASABE Annual International Meeting 2600758.(doi:10.13031/aim.202600758)Authors: Simon Grebner, Christoph André Brinkmann, Heinz Bernhardt
Keywords: Battery electric truck, diesel truck, agricultural logistics, milk collection, real-world data, CAN bus, energy consumption, CO2e emissions.
Abstract. Battery electric heavy-duty trucks are increasingly considered for agricultural logistics, but their feasibility depends strongly on application-specific operating profiles and charging opportunities. This study analyzes real-world operating data from two Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 battery electric tractor units used in the regional transport stage of a two-stage raw milk logistics system. CAN bus data and charging records were used to characterize operating patterns and estimate charge-equivalent energy consumption based on a charging-data-calibrated state-of-charge (SOC) approach. The vehicles covered approximately 98,450 km and 118,620 km over 224 and 345 valid operating days, respectively. Median calibrated energy consumption was approximately 99.0 and 101.5 kWh/100 km. Compared with an indicative diesel reference of 33 L/100 km, battery electric operation resulted in an estimated CO₂e reduction of about 60% when charged with the German grid mix in 2025, with higher reduction potentials for low-carbon electricity. The results indicate that battery electric tractor units can be suitable for specific regional raw milk transport applications when route structure, charging infrastructure and operating schedules are compatible.
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