After two years of operational activity, the Berlin-based e-truck-as-a-service provider Juna is taking stock. Since the launch in early 2024, the joint venture’s battery-electric trucks have covered more than 1.6 million kilometers across Europe, according to the company.
Juna currently operates around 50 electric trucks in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Poland. By the end of 2026, the fleet is set to grow to 200 vehicles. The company says it works with 20 customers.
Assuming an average fuel consumption of conventional trucks of 27 liters of diesel per 100 kilometers, the mileage to date corresponds, on paper, to savings of around 450,000 liters of diesel.
Focus on predictable lanes
“From the very beginning, our goal was not to replace every diesel route overnight, but to create a robust and scalable foundation for electric freight transport,” explains Matteo Oberto, Chief Executive Officer of Juna.
“After two years, electric heavy-duty transport is clearly going beyond individual pilot projects. We have established structured, repeatable processes. The next step now is to consistently continue scaling what already works.”
According to the company, the e-trucks are used primarily on clearly defined routes served on a regular basis. Key factors are predictable utilization, fixed lanes, and a reliably integrated charging infrastructure.
Profitability remains the central question
In current discussions about electric trucks, people often argue in sweeping terms, either as a silver bullet or as a cost risk. Juna, by contrast, emphasizes a systemic approach.
“What matters is not what a vehicle costs, but how regularly and predictably it is used,” said Johan Kjellner, COO of Juna, recently.
Many transports are volume-limited rather than weight-limited. Range or battery-weight issues therefore do not affect all segments equally. In addition, lower maintenance costs, predictable energy prices and the toll exemption that still applies for zero-emission trucks all influence total costs.
At the same time, public charging infrastructure for heavy commercial vehicles in Europe remains patchy. The cost-effective use of battery-electric trucks therefore depends heavily on clearly structured operating profiles.
From an ambitious long-term target to a realistic interim step
In an interview with trans.iNFO, CEO Matteo Oberto formulated a long-term goal in 2024: by 2030, 5,000 electric trucks were to be in operation under the model.
In current communications, this long-term target is not front and center. Instead, the company is focusing on the concrete expansion from the current figure of just over 50 to 200 vehicles by the end of 2026.
For the industry, this reflects a familiar pattern: electrification in heavy-duty transport is developing less in big leaps and more in clearly defined, economically viable steps. Not every route is suitable for battery-electric trucks — but where lanes are predictable and utilization is secured, electric freight transport increasingly appears to be becoming part of regular transport structures.
