Assessing the Feasibility of Alternative Powertrains in Agricultural Logistics: A Case Study on Milk and Sugar Beet Transportation

The escalating impact of climate change necessitates intensified efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, driving the exploration of additional measures beyond current practices. The transition to alternative powertrains in the commercial vehicle sector presents a notable challenge due to the high energy demands, especially when compared to passenger cars. However, the agricultural sector, particularly in logistics, offers substantial potential for implementing alternative powertrains. Farmers can supply energy for various powertrain systems, including hydrogen, biofuels, natural gas (CNG and LNG), and electricity. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of deploying a mix of alternative powertrains in raw milk and sugar beet logistics. In the initial phase of the project, fuel consumption and other relevant data were collected from the J1939 CAN bus of diesel trucks operated by participating companies in milk and sugar beet logistics. This paper presents a preliminary analysis of the collected data, focusing on the accuracy of internally reported truck data compared to actual physical quantities. The comparison of these internally reported values with the fuel billed by gas stations revealed a deviation of 3.9%.