Can lorries go green faster?

YOU MAY think that if you splashed out $100,000 for a vehicle you would take delivery of something flash—a Porsche, say. In fact, many such buyers care less about the badge on the bonnet and more about how much load the thing can carry. For this is also the price of a large lorry.Commercial vehicles such as lorries and vans keep supply chains humming and deliveries moving. They also make lots of money for their makers. In 2023 vans accounted for a third of the €190bn ($207bn) in sales at Stellantis (whose largest shareholder, Exor, part-owns ’s parent company). Daimler Truck, the world’s biggest manufacturer of medium-sized and large lorries, earned revenues of €56bn last year. Ford Pro, the American car giant’s commercial arm, made a net profit of $7.2bn on sales of 1.4m units, compared with $7.5bn at Ford Blue, its car division, which sold twice as many vehicles. Lorries made by Volvo and Daimler rake in margins typical of an upmarket carmaker.