Three Major Bottlenecks Hindering Electrification of Trunk-Line Express Freight

[Infrastructure] The electrification of trunk-line express freight is constrained by three major bottlenecks: energy replenishment, electricity pricing, and route flexibility.

Key Trend: Electric Heavy-Duty Trucks Still in Single-Digit Penetration for Trunk-Line Logistics

Although domestic sales of electric heavy-duty trucks reached 231,000 units in 2025, surging 182% year-over-year, and continued to grow by 75.5% in Q1 2026, the growth has been concentrated in short-haul, closed environments such as mines and ports. Electrification rates for short-haul transport within 300 kilometers exceed 70%, yet penetration in express freight trunk-line operations remains below 10%.

Strategic Foundation: Challenges in Scaling Operations

Industry consensus holds that only large-scale, centralized operations can amortize costs and unlock full lifecycle advantages, but actual implementation has been slow. Fleets commonly report, “Buying vehicles is easy; operating them is hard.”

Critical Bottlenecks: Conflicts Among Recharging, Electricity Pricing, and Delivery Timeliness

First, there is a mismatch between supply and demand in recharging infrastructure, with insufficient coverage of fast-charging networks along trunk routes. Second, off-peak electricity pricing periods are difficult to align with logistics’ high timeliness requirements. Third, operational routes are highly flexible and variable, making it challenging to standardize electric vehicle deployment.