VEHICLE FLEETS

WHAT ARE THE KEY TAKEAWAYS?

Electrification is the most scalable and mature pathway for zero‑emission road freight, with system-level factors – charging, grid integration, data, and operations – now driving innovation more than the truck itself
The sector is entering a phase of commercial maturity, where reliability, utilisation, and financial models matter more than technical feasibility, pushing innovation toward shared infrastructure and new risk‑sharing business models
Emerging tools – from AI fleet optimisation to mobile‑based emissions tracking – are reshaping how freight operators manage efficiency, safety, and decarbonisation

What are the experts saying?

About Smart Freight Centre

Smart Freight Centre was founded in 2013 with the ambition to make freight part of the global climate solution. Since then, it has grown into a global non-profit organisation with a community of more than 215 member companies worldwide. Today, Smart Freight Centre plays a leading role in advancing the decarbonisation of freight transportation by supporting the global logistics ecosystem in measuring, tracking, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Its work is aligned with the goal of achieving a zero-emission global logistics sector by 2050 or earlier, consistent with 1.5°C pathways.

Andy Golding Director - Strategic Services, Smart Freight Centre

What themes will matter most in vehicle innovation in 2026?

At Smart Freight Centre our work on road freight decarbonisation focuses on electric vehicles.

For zero-emission road freight, electrification is the most mature and energy-efficient option across a range of use cases, with battery-electric trucks outperforming alternative pathways on efficiency and cost trajectories in many segments. Other fuels may remain relevant in specific niches, but electrification offers the most immediate route to scale.

What’s changing is where vehicle innovation actually happens.

Progress is no longer driven primarily by the truck itself, but by the system around it. Battery lifecycle management, fast and predictable charging, grid integration, on-site renewable energy, smart routing, load optimisation, and the digital layers connecting vehicles, infrastructure, and operations are becoming more decisive than incremental gains in range or drivetrain performance.

The defining feature of 2026 is maturity. Many of these solutions are no longer pilots. They have been tested in real-world operations and are moving into early deployment. The challenge is less about technical feasibility and more about operational reliability and economic scalability. What matters most is uptime, utilisation, and total cost of ownership. This defines the meaning of ‘vehicle innovation’. Electric trucks work. The harder problem is deploying them at scale without concentrating risk on individual operators. Charging downtime, grid constraints, asset utilisation, and residual value risk cannot all sit with a single carrier.

The next wave of innovation is therefore organisational and financial as much as technical. Shared charging corridors, standardised data layers, and coordinated deployment reduce fragmentation. New commercial models, such as pay-per-kilometre contracts, vehicle-plus-energy bundles, and usage-based leasing, help redistribute risk and lower adoption barriers.

In 2026, vehicle innovation in road freight will be less about the next truck, and more about how vehicles, energy, capital, and operations are orchestrated into systems that make electric transport the economically obvious choice. Not just the sustainable one.

Three Innovations to keep an eye on

INNOVATION ONE:

Will AI smooth the fleet decarbonisation process?

Australian startup BetterFleet has developed an AI-driven platform for optimising fleet planning, charging, and operations. This advanced software empowers complex organisations, including transit and logistics fleets, to effectively transition to sustainable electric vehicles.

This technology is designed to not only streamline fleet management, but also deliver significant cost savings and emission reductions.”

By creating digital twins of vehicles and infrastructure, the system enhances decision-making regarding charging stations and vehicle selection, ultimately minimising unnecessary infrastructure investments and operational downtime.

This technology is designed to not only streamline fleet management, but also deliver significant cost savings and emission reductions.

BetterFleet claims to have already worked with large fleets of up to 20,000 vehicles across thousands of depots. In March 2025, the startup raised $15 million in series A funding, which it will use to scale its user base to more than 200 customers across Europe, Asia-Pacific, and North America.

INNOVATION TWO:

Could a subscription model help businesses go electric?

French startup Evera offers an innovative electric vehicle subscription service aimed at businesses transitioning to electric fleets. This service includes vehicle leasing that encompasses insurance, maintenance, and charging infrastructure, providing a comprehensive solution for customers.

Additionally, the startup’s digital platform, Copilot, empowers businesses to efficiently manage their EV fleets, monitor car performance, and optimise costs, facilitating a smoother transition to sustainable transport options.

Copilot, empowers businesses to efficiently manage their EV fleets, monitor car performance, and optimise costs.”

In March 2025, the company raised €2 million in seed funding to fuel its expansion across France. It then opened up Copilot to any company, regardless of leasing provider. Previously the fleet management tool had only been available to Evera’s subscription clients. A key selling point for the Copilot platform is that it works across vehicle types (whether electric or fossil fuel powered) and does not require the installation of specialist hardware.

INNOVATION THREE:

Can we streamline mobility-related emissions tracking?

Travalytics is a SaaS platform that functions through a mobile app, collecting data via sensors on mobile phones. Built by mobility and travel survey experts, it draws upon decades of knowledge in travel behaviour and modelling to detect and track the commuting patterns of a user.

Powered by machine learning, the app goes beyond merely tracking distance to automatically detect the mode of transport being used. This way, companies can easily track their travel emissions data, evaluate the impact of sustainability measures, and develop impactful sustainable mobility plans.

As well as helping organisations track and reduce their transport-related emissions, Travalytics’ data provides insights that could improve employee health through increased mobility, deliver better parking solutions, and ultimately reduce congestion. Crucially, every user’s data remains private to their employer, and they can choose to opt out and turn off tracking at any time.

Crucially, every user’s data remains private to their employer, and they can choose to opt out and turn off tracking at any time.”

The startup’s co-founder, Anna Stankovski Clark, is optimistic about the potential of Travalytics to drive real impact. Speaking to Springwise, she emphasised the platform’s highly scalable backend, which can function on a wide scale. According to her, Travalytics is “just getting started.” Having already teamed up with Tetra Pak as part of a successful pilot to trial its platform, Travalytics is currently onboarding new customers, clients, and collaborators.