In the course of decarbonization, the focus is also shifting to snowplows and the like. Some cantons are considering switching to fossil-free winter maintenance vehicles. INFRAS has developed the conceptual framework for the electrification of a cantonal winter service fleet.
Snow could be cleared from the roads as quietly as it falls – with electrically powered winter service vehicles. Today, nearly all off-road vehicles, tractors and trucks used for winter maintenance are still powered by fossil fuels, mostly diesel. This could change in the future, as the cantons are looking for solutions to decarbonize their vehicle fleets with a view to net zero. What could a fossil-free and low-emission winter service look like? INFRAS was commissioned by a canton to evaluate various alternatives and draw up recommendations.
Difficult area of application for battery drive
When it snows, all winter service vehicles are usually deployed at the same time and are in intensive use for many hours at a time. In order for battery-powered snowplows to achieve this performance, large batteries with a long service life and short charging time would be required. And on the other hand, there would need to be enough charging stations to charge several vehicles at the same time.
«Electrifying a winter service fleet of around 100 vehicles is a major challenge», says Roberto Bianchetti, head of the study and electromobility expert at INFRAS. According to the cost estimate, which INFRAS carried out together with Swisscharge for three exemplary locations in the canton, the expansion of the charging infrastructure would require high investments. «Particularly given the relatively low number of annual deployments», Bianchetti notes.
Vehicle supply, fuel availability and costs are crucial
Battery-electric drives are not the only fossil-free option. Vehicles powered by hydrogen or e-fuels, i.e. synthetic fuels generated using electricity, are also conceivable. INFRAS has examined these alternatives and compared them with the battery-electric solution in terms of various factors: Availability of vehicles, availability of the respective fuel, overall costs, efficiency and emissions reduction.
Market analysis by INFRAS has shown that good coverage can be expected for battery-electric commercial vehicles within the next ten years. The development of hydrogen vehicles is unlikely to keep pace. In the case of e-fuels, which are used in conventional combustion engines, vehicles are already available.
Development of hydrogen and e-fuels uncertain
The availability of both e-fuels and hydrogen is still very uncertain. This is also because the future demand for these fuels is likely to be high in important sectors such as aviation or industry, where battery-electric drives are not an option. Another disadvantage of hydrogen vehicles is that the refueling station infrastructure would have to be adapted.
In most vehicle categories, the hydrogen drive would be the most expensive option, while the costs of the battery-electric solution are slightly lower. Switching to e-fuels would be the cheapest option, but only because of the low annual mileage of winter service vehicles. However, snowplows running on synthetic fuels produce just as much noise and air pollutants as those powered by diesel.
Batteries perform best
«Despite the high costs, a battery-electric winter service fleet is the most advantageous solution because it offers the best availability and also best meets the requirements for efficiency and emission reduction», summarizes Roberto Bianchetti. However, the climate-friendliness of a fossil-free winter service ultimately depends on the electricity used to charge batteries or generate hydrogen and e-fuels. «The expansion of renewable energy is therefore the most important prerequisite for the decarbonization of a winter service fleet.»
Further articles from INFRAS on the topic
- Electrifying freight transport: a decision-making tool for fleet conversion
- From E-Excavators to E-Tractors: How the Non-Road Sector Can Be Electrified
- The path to a climate-neutral fleet of heavy duty vehicles
- Electric vehicles: facts and figures on batteries throughout their life cycle
- How can transport in Switzerland become fossil-free? (in German)
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