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How Electric Trucks Compare With Diesel Trucks for Range, Payload, and Operating Costs

Electric trucks can have lower direct energy costs, but range, payload, charging, and total cost depend on the vehicle and duty cycle. Here is how fleets can compare them fairly.
Entry202 Date Time10 min MechanicCarCody Team
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Neither electric nor diesel trucks have a universal advantage in range, payload, or operating cost. The better fit depends on the exact vehicle configuration, route, load, local energy prices, charging access, annual use, and the cost of time spent charging or refueling. For fleet buyers, the useful comparison is not a headline range or fuel-cost figure: it is whether each truck can complete the same work, on the same schedule, at an acceptable total cost.

That distinction matters especially when comparing heavy-duty tractors with pickups or lighter commercial trucks. The available figures below are primarily about commercial and heavy-duty vehicles; they cannot be applied directly to light-duty pickups or treated as a matched electric-versus-diesel model test.

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What changes when a truck is electric?

A diesel truck carries liquid fuel and refills at a fuel station; a battery-electric truck stores energy onboard and must have access to charging that fits its work pattern. The difference reaches beyond the energy source. Battery size, vehicle configuration, payload, route conditions, charging time, and the availability of power at the depot or along the route all affect what work a truck can perform.

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For a fleet decision, compare the same job rather than comparing two headline specifications. Define the route, schedule, typical load, annual distance, and required reserve first. Then assess whether each candidate can meet those requirements and what it costs to do so. A truck that is cheaper per kilometre of energy may still be a poor fit if it cannot carry the necessary load, complete a route without disruptive charging, or maintain the required utilization.

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Keep vehicle classes separate. The International Energy Agency (IEA) describes long-haul heavy-duty trucking as a particularly difficult segment because battery size, range, payload, and charging needs must be balanced. A range or cost result for a heavy tractor does not establish how a pickup will perform, and a light-duty comparison cannot settle the economics of a Class 8 operation.

How far can an electric truck travel?

There is no single electric-truck range that applies across vehicles and work. Route length, operating conditions, weather, temperature, payload, topography, and road type affect energy use and therefore the distance available between charges. The route also has to leave room for the operator’s reserve and charging plan, rather than ending at the vehicle’s maximum stated range.

Read manufacturer range figures as configuration-specific

MAN Truck & Bus lists an “up to 570 km” range for a particular 4×2 standard semitrailer tractor with six batteries in its model overview. MAN cautions that actual range varies with operating conditions and names weather, temperature, payload, topography, and road type as factors affecting consumption. This is a manufacturer-stated figure for that configuration, not an independently verified result, a guaranteed route distance, or a like-for-like comparison with a diesel tractor.

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Before treating any published figure as relevant, match it to the vehicle configuration and the work you expect it to perform. A fleet should confirm the range basis with the manufacturer or dealer for the specified configuration and operating assumptions, then evaluate it against its own routes. A headline maximum cannot establish the distance available under a different load, terrain, climate, or schedule.

Map range to the actual duty cycle

For each route, record the daily distance, loaded and unloaded legs, expected load, terrain, road type, temperature conditions, and any regular stops. Identify where charging could occur and how long the vehicle can be there without disrupting work. Check whether the truck can complete the route with a practical reserve, not merely whether the advertised range exceeds the route distance.

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Routes with predictable mileage and scheduled time at a depot may be easier to plan around than routes that vary substantially or require long stretches without charging access. That is an operational distinction, not a guarantee that a particular route is suitable: the vehicle’s configuration, the charging arrangement, and the fleet’s reserve policy still matter.

Compare usable range, not just maximum range

For a diesel candidate, use the same route and schedule and evaluate its fuel use and refueling needs under the expected load. For an electric candidate, include the charging stops and dwell time needed to serve that route. The question is whether either vehicle can complete the work reliably within the operating plan, not which powertrain has the larger number on a specification sheet.

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Does an electric truck carry less payload?

Payload is a configuration-level question, not something that can be answered reliably with a general statement about all electric and diesel trucks. Battery size, vehicle design, and the specific truck’s ratings matter. The IEA identifies the balance among battery size, range, payload, and charging needs as one reason long-haul heavy-duty trucking is challenging. NREL’s total-cost-of-ownership (TCO) study also modeled scenarios both with and without costs associated with payload capacity, underscoring that payload can affect economics as well as vehicle selection.

Compare the exact candidates’ payload ratings with the loads they actually need to carry. Also establish whether the operation is weight-limited or volume-limited. A difference in payload capacity may have little effect on a job that typically fills the available cargo space before reaching a weight limit; it can matter much more when each trip is constrained by weight or when fewer trips mean less revenue or lower operating expense.

Put payload into the route economics

  • Record typical and peak loads, and identify how often the truck reaches a weight limit.
  • Compare the payload ratings for the exact vehicle configurations being considered.
  • Estimate the operational effect of any difference: for example, whether the same work requires more trips or whether a route cannot be served as planned.
  • Include that effect in the financial comparison instead of counting only energy and maintenance.

Do not infer a payload penalty from powertrain type alone, or assume that a difference is immaterial because the truck can still travel the route. The relevant test is whether the specific configuration can carry the load needed to complete the same work economically.

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How do energy costs compare with diesel?

Energy cost can favor electric trucks, but the size of the advantage depends on geography, prices, vehicle efficiency, and operating assumptions. In a 2025 analysis, the IEA compared direct energy costs for battery-electric heavy-duty trucks and diesel trucks using 2024 fuel prices. It reported that electric-truck direct fuel costs were almost 70% lower in China and about one-third lower in the European Union and the United States.

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Those are modeled regional comparisons of direct energy cost—not a guarantee for an individual fleet, a full TCO result, or a number that can be transferred unchanged between countries. They do not by themselves include the operator’s purchase price, financing, infrastructure, charging-related time, payload effects, or other costs. Local electricity tariffs, demand charges, diesel prices, vehicle efficiency, and annual mileage can all change the result for a particular operation.

Evidence Reported figure What it represents
IEA, 2025 analysis using 2024 fuel prices Almost 70% lower in China Modeled direct energy costs for battery-electric heavy-duty trucks compared with diesel trucks
IEA, 2025 analysis using 2024 fuel prices About one-third lower in the European Union and the United States Modeled direct energy costs for battery-electric heavy-duty trucks compared with diesel trucks
MAN Truck & Bus model overview Up to 570 km Manufacturer-stated range for a 4×2 standard semitrailer tractor with six batteries; actual range varies with operating conditions
U.S. Department of Energy summary of NREL work, 2022 Nearly half by 2030 Historical projection that nearly half of medium- and heavy-duty trucks would be cheaper to buy, operate, and maintain as zero-emission vehicles

The IEA’s percentage figures are useful context for the energy line in a fleet budget; they are not estimates of total savings. The MAN range figure applies only to the stated configuration. The DOE figure is a dated forecast, not an observed outcome or evidence that electric trucks are cheaper for every buyer today.

Which truck has lower total operating cost?

Fuel or electricity is only one part of the cost comparison. A useful TCO analysis uses a common time horizon and accounts for the costs and operational effects that differ between the two candidate vehicles. These can include acquisition and financing, energy or fuel, maintenance, labor, utilization, downtime, payload-related costs, and charging infrastructure. A comparison that leaves out a material cost may make one option look artificially favorable.

Build a like-for-like comparison

  1. Fix the work being compared. Use the same geography, route, operating schedule, expected loads, annual distance, and ownership or replacement period for both candidates.
  2. Use actual candidate configurations. Record each vehicle’s purchase price, financing assumptions, energy or fuel economy, payload rating, and other relevant specifications. Do not substitute a general vehicle-class average for a specific candidate.
  3. Enter local energy prices. Use the electricity tariff that would apply to the charging arrangement, including demand charges where relevant, and the diesel price relevant to the operation. Apply the same annual-distance assumptions to both vehicles.
  4. Include maintenance and time. Use defensible maintenance assumptions for each candidate. Account for labor and downtime, as well as charging or refueling time where it affects utilization. Do not assume universal maintenance savings without data that matches the vehicles and operation.
  5. Cost payload and infrastructure effects. Include any effect of payload capacity on the work completed, and account for charging equipment, site power, installation, and access where applicable.
  6. Compare results and test assumptions. Identify which inputs drive the result, then test how it changes if mileage, energy prices, payload, or time costs differ from the base case.

The ICCT TCO calculator is designed for user-entered comparisons of battery-electric and diesel commercial vehicles, with inputs that include purchase price, energy or fuel economy, maintenance, payload, and weather. EPA SmartWay organizes fleet electrification resources around topics including TCO calculators, charging infrastructure, grid issues, funding, and readiness. Peterbilt also offers an operating-cost calculator for comparing commercial diesel and electric truck energy or fuel costs. These tools can structure the calculation; their outputs depend on the information entered and should be checked against the fleet’s own conditions.

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Separate energy savings from a TCO result

Use a layered comparison so that assumptions stay visible. First calculate the direct energy or fuel expense for the same work. Then add acquisition and financing, maintenance, infrastructure, and time-related costs. Finally, account for payload or utilization effects that change the amount of work the truck can complete. This makes it possible to see whether an apparent advantage comes from energy alone or persists when the full operating plan is considered.

A favorable direct-energy comparison does not prove that the electric vehicle has a lower total cost. Nor does a higher purchase price, considered by itself, settle TCO: the relevant outcome depends on how the full set of costs compares over the chosen period and how much work each vehicle completes.

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How charging affects operations and cost

Charging is part of the route plan, not a detail to add after selecting a truck. A fleet needs to establish where charging will happen, whether the site has suitable power, what charging schedule is workable, and whether charging time reduces vehicle utilization. Charging access and grid constraints can affect both operating feasibility and total cost; EPA SmartWay includes infrastructure and grid considerations among its fleet electrification resources.

Check the charging plan before choosing a vehicle

  • Map potential charging locations against the route and the time the truck is expected to be there.
  • Assess site power and the charging infrastructure needed for the planned schedule.
  • Determine whether access is reliable for the vehicles and shifts that need it.
  • Include installation and infrastructure costs where they apply.
  • Measure the operational effect of charging dwell time on labor, utilization, and the ability to complete scheduled work.

Charging can be workable in one operation and disruptive in another, even when the daily distance is similar. The schedule, charging location, power availability, and vehicle utilization determine whether the plan fits. A calculation that treats charging as free of time and infrastructure consequences risks overlooking costs that matter to the fleet.

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What evidence can—and cannot—tell you

The available figures support a conditional comparison, not a universal ranking. The IEA’s 2025 analysis provides regional modeled direct-energy comparisons using 2024 fuel prices. MAN provides a manufacturer-stated, configuration-specific range figure and warns that operating conditions affect actual range. NREL’s 2021 TCO study modeled Class 8 tractors and Class 4 parcel-delivery trucks, including scenarios with and without payload-capacity costs. Those findings and tools can help frame a decision, but they do not supply a current, matched electric-and-diesel model pair with purchase prices, payload ratings, and independently observed operating costs for a specified route and geography.

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DOE summaries published in 2021 and 2022 describe modeled projections of future truck competitiveness. In its 2022 summary of NREL work, DOE projected that by 2030 nearly half of medium- and heavy-duty trucks would be cheaper to buy, operate, and maintain as zero-emission vehicles. That remains a historical projection; it should not be presented as proof of current results or as a universal finding for every fleet.

Likewise, these sources do not establish universal maintenance savings, installation costs for a particular charging site, or current incentive eligibility for a particular buyer. Those inputs need to be verified for the actual vehicles, location, and operating plan. Current like-for-like model prices are also not established by the figures presented here, so no general purchase-price winner can be stated.

A practical decision rule for fleet buyers

Start with work requirements, then test vehicle and cost fit. An electric truck is a stronger candidate when the specific configuration can meet the route and payload requirements, charging can be integrated into the schedule, and the full cost calculation works under local prices and utilization. A diesel truck may fit better when the operating plan or available charging cannot support the electric candidate’s requirements, or when the electric option’s total cost does not justify the change. Neither conclusion follows from powertrain alone.

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  • Range: Can the vehicle complete the actual route with a workable reserve and, for an electric truck, a viable charging plan?
  • Payload: Can the exact configuration carry the required loads without undermining the work or revenue?
  • Energy: What do local electricity and diesel prices imply for the same annual work?
  • Total cost: Do acquisition, financing, maintenance, infrastructure, time, downtime, and payload effects change the energy-only result?
  • Evidence: Are the figures current and matched to the vehicle, region, and duty cycle, or are they a manufacturer claim, modeled comparison, or historical projection?

Use the same route and time horizon for both options, make assumptions explicit, and treat any result as specific to that operation. That is the most reliable way to turn broad electric-versus-diesel claims into a decision a commercial buyer can use.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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