Electrifying Freight: Modeling the Decision-Making Process for Battery Electric Truck Procurement

Levent Özlü () and Dilay Çelebi
Additional contact information
Levent Özlü: Department of Management Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul 34469, Turkey
Dilay Çelebi: Department of Management Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul 34469, Turkey

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 9, 1-23

Abstract: As the transportation industry seeks sustainable alternatives to internal combustion engine trucks (ICET), understanding the dynamics behind battery electric truck (BET) adoption becomes essential. This paper explores the critical factors influencing the procurement decision for BET in the freight transportation sector, employing a novel combination of fuzzy logic and the Delphi method to bridge qualitative assessments and quantitative analysis. Through a comprehensive literature review and expert consultations via the Delphi method, the research identifies the barriers to BET adoption, including initial investment costs, charging infrastructure, and legislative clarity. Fuzzy logic is then applied to model these factors’ impacts on the purchasing decision, translating subjective judgments into a structured analytical framework. This approach enables the assessment of BETs’ viability against ICETs, considering the total cost of ownership (TCO), travel time (TT) ratios, and perceived social benefits. While economic factors primarily drive the purchasing decision, the study reveals that social utility also plays a crucial role. This research contributes to the sustainable transportation literature by offering a detailed model of the decision-making process for BET procurement, providing valuable insights for industry professionals, policymakers, and academics committed to advancing environmentally friendly freight solutions.

Keywords: battery electric trucks; fuzzy logic; Delphi method; purchasing decision (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/9/3801/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/9/3801/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:9:p:3801-:d:1387083

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().