Can an Industry-Led Infrastructure Development Strategy Facilitate Electric Truck Adoption?

Abstract

Reverse logistics plays a critical role in sustainable development and circular economy by transforming waste into value. However, transporting large volumes of waste and recyclables generates significant carbon emissions. This paper explores an industry-led strategy for charging infrastructure development, which integrates the reverse logistics network designs with a network of charging stations to promote electric trucks (E-trucks) adoption and reduce carbon footprints in transportation. Our model optimizes operational costs while ensuring accessibility to charging infrastructure. A case study in Norway demonstrates that, despite higher operating costs due to additional charging stations, the adoption of E-trucks can decrease total reverse logistics costs by 0.18%—2.37% and cut carbon emissions by 16.3%—17.6%. These findings support the economic viability and environmental benefits of this strategy for advancing sustainable practices in transportation, and it further highlights the interdependencies between logistics network design and charging infrastructure planning.