Most hesitation about electric fleets comes down to six concerns: cost, the grid, downtime, technology, expertise and the lease. Each one is legitimate, and each one already has a working answer.

In short: the main objections to fleet electrification are real, but WDP projects with VPD, X2O, Barry Callebaut and Raamsdonksveer show they can be solved without the occupier carrying them alone.

Below, we take them one by one.

Usually the first concern, and a fair one. Chargers, batteries and site upgrades are real investments, and the payback depends on fleet size, usage and local energy prices. Dirk Van Peteghem, founder of transport company VPD, put it plainly: electric vans and trucks can cost three to four times more than conventional ones, and without support the investment is too heavy to carry alone.

What changes the picture is how you assess and finance it. WDP’s Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) tool maps the full cost of going electric: purchase price, subsidies, insurance, maintenance, diesel versus electricity, and upcoming EU emissions rules.

For X2O, it was decisive. Logistics Director Niels Salembier said the tool gave the company a clear view of the investment and costs over the whole project, and convinced it that the future of trucks is electric.

WDP also financed and built the charging infrastructure as part of the site. The same model made VPD’s switch possible despite the higher upfront cost. See our grid capacity guide for how this fits into wider site planning.

This worry usually comes from picturing slow, overnight-only charging that does not fit around multiple shifts. That is a design problem, not a limit of electric trucks.

Barry Callebaut faced exactly this when it electrified transport between its Wieze and Lokeren sites. Wannes van Rysselberghe, Logistics Manager at its Global Distribution Center, summed up the challenge: the trucks are in constant use, with very little time to recharge.

The answer was two 300 kW Alpitronic Hyperchargers, fast enough to keep the operation running 24/7. A depot designed around how the fleet actually works keeps charging from becoming a bottleneck. See depot charging vs en-route charging to judge how fast your depot needs to charge.

Grid connections, batteries and chargers are not core business for most logistics companies. It is reasonable not to want to build that knowledge in-house just to electrify a fleet.

This is where a landlord with energy experience makes the difference. WDP designs, finances and delivers this infrastructure through its Green Mobility Hub approach, so you do not have to become an energy specialist. The expertise gap is real, but it does not have to be yours to close.

Often the most frustrating concern, because it is about what the contract allows rather than technology or cost. The fix is to negotiate the right to install or upgrade chargers before you need it. See build-to-suit or existing lease for the clauses worth including, and never assume your landlord will say no without asking.

For WDP tenants, this is less of an issue. WDP supports its tenants’ energy transition directly, with EV charging, solar power and energy storage.

• Limited financial risk. WDP invests in the chargers and renewable energy itself. Tenants get high-quality infrastructure at competitive prices, with the option to sell surplus energy back to the grid.
• One partner for everything. WDP coordinates installation, maintenance and administration, linked to the rest of its services, from parking to mobility.
• Reliable expertise and uptime. A trusted partner network and proactive maintenance keep everything running, backed by knowledge of emissions rules and site safety.

If you are a WDP tenant facing this question, simply raise it with WDP. Your current lease does not have to be a dead end.

Every concern above is real, and going electric does not make them vanish. You do not have to solve them alone, though. WDP has already worked through grid constraints, built charging infrastructure and financed it for other tenants, so much of the hard work is done.

You do not need to decide today. Start by asking questions about your grid capacity, a battery, your lease and your site. That is a far easier first step than ruling electrification out.