MAN Truck & Bus and German freight forwarder Dettendorfer are conducting a four-week trial of fully electric trucks on the Brenner route between Raubling, Germany, and Bolzano, Italy, to assess the potential of night-time operations to ease congestion, cut CO₂ emissions, and reduce noise in Alpine freight transport.
The test, running in July and August, takes advantage of an exemption from the night-time driving ban on Austria’s A12 Inntal motorway, which applies to diesel vehicles but not to electric trucks. The MAN eTruck, produced in Munich since June 2025, offers ranges of up to 800 km with an intermediate charge, enabling overnight cross-border runs between Germany and Italy.
“E-trucks can be an important part of the solution for Alpine freight transport on the Brenner route,” said Christian Bernreiter, Bavaria’s transport minister. “The night-time use of e-trucks shows that less CO₂, less noise and better use of infrastructure are possible.”
According to MAN, just 300 electric trucks operating at night could cut daytime block clearance at the Kufstein border by up to an hour and save up to 28,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually. Lower tolls, reduced energy and maintenance costs, and regenerative braking on steep sections contribute to operational savings, with the company estimating a more than 15% total cost advantage over diesel trucks on the Brenner route over three years.
Noise tests show e-trucks are perceived as roughly half as loud as diesel trucks when accelerating, with a 12-decibel difference, comparable to the gap between a busy road and a quiet residential street.
Georg Dettendorfer, managing director of Dettendorfer, said the trial reflects the company’s long-term strategy. “If we want to make the shift to climate-friendly logistics, we need solutions that work in everyday life – across national borders and without compromising on service,” he said.