20 electric trucks from Germany for Belgian logistics firm H.Essers
The logistics company H.Essers, based in Genk, Belgium, is expanding its electric fleet with 20 new electric trucks. MAN and Mercedes-Benz Trucks have each delivered ten units. They will now be primarily deployed from the company's Belgian locations.
Image: H.Essers
With the newly arrived XXL electric trucks, H.Essers now has a total of 31 battery-electric trucks in its fleet. The company describes its investment in the e-trucks, along with the expanding charging infrastructure and energy supply, as part of its sustainability strategy. H.Essers specifically aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its own transport fleet by 42 per cent by 2030. The logistics provider intends to achieve this target through “a combination of operational efficiency, synchromodal transport, renewable energy and alternative fuels, including the electrification of transport activities.”
According to official company figures from early 2025, H.Essers operates around 1,420 trucks. A key milestone in the company’s sustainability strategy is to expand electrification to around 15 per cent of the fleet by 2030, which would correspond to approximately 200 units.
The decision to now purchase an additional 20 electric trucks is based, according to management, on the experiences gained last year as part of a pilot project. During this trial, “six electric trucks from three different manufacturers were deployed in daily operations. This practical experience provided H.Essers with greater insight into both the opportunities and challenges of electric transport in day-to-day operations,” according to the company.
The Mercedes electric trucks reportedly offer a range of between 525 and 575 km, while the MAN models have a range of 400 to 450 km. Thanks to their DC charging capability, the vehicles from both brands could be recharged in approx. 90 minutes under optimal conditions.
Christopher Van den Daele, COO Transport at H.Essers, commented: “Making logistics more sustainable requires a combination of solutions. Electric trucks play an important role in this and are becoming a viable option for an increasing number of applications. We believe electrification is an essential part of the logistics of the future.” The expansion enables the deployment of electric trucks on a larger scale under real-world operating conditions. “In doing so, we are not only building knowledge and experience but also laying the foundations for the further roll-out of electric transport across our European network.”
According to Van den Daele, the investment also marks the beginning of the company’s next growth phase: although H.Essers’ electric fleet is primarily operated from Belgium and the Netherlands at the moment, the company is now examining how the technology can be scaled in other countries and business areas. The insights gained from ongoing operations are expected to play a key role in this process.
Alongside the electric fleet, the charging infrastructure is also expanding in the near future, with H.Essers increasing its installed charging capacity at the company’s sites in Genk and Bergen op Zoom to 2.7 MW. In addition, the logistics provider is investing in the electrification of forklift trucks and passenger cars, as well as heating and cooling systems for office and warehouse buildings.
Van den Daele added: “To manage the growing energy demand across different sites in a smart way, we have also introduced Synchro Grid, a company-wide energy ecosystem that aligns energy production, consumption and storage. Our ambition is to gradually develop our sites into flexible energy hubs and support the further electrification of our operations, while responding to customers’ growing demand for more sustainable transport solutions. In this way, we are working together to build a more sustainable logistics chain.”