Sustainable urban freight: pavement, environmental, and economic impacts of heavy-duty electric trucks

Electric trucks are increasingly seen as a key solution for reducing emissions in urban freight transport. To support their deployment, several Australian states have introduced trial exemptions that allow higher axle loads to accommodate battery weight. This study investigates the effects of these weight-limit exemptions on the serviceability and sustainability of three typical pavement designs under different traffic volumes. A life cycle assessment and life cycle cost assessment were conducted to evaluate both environmental and economic implications. Results show that increased axle loads reduce pavement service life by approximately 50 %. When electric truck-induced pavement deterioration is considered, total global warming potential emissions decrease by 76.2 %, 40.9 %, and 2.95 % for three pavement types when all vehicles are electric. When pavement deterioration is not considered, the reductions increase to 78.5 %, 51.4 %, and 24.2 % due to the exclusion of emissions from rehabilitation and additional energy use caused by deteriorated surfaces.