Dachser Goes Emission-Free in 25 European Cities: What Green Logistics Looks Like in Practice

On 4 March 2026, Dachser announced it had reached a milestone: emission-free deliveries in 25 European cities across 10 countries. One more than originally planned. The family-owned German logistics company has deployed 60 battery-electric trucks and 13 electrically-assisted cargo bikes across these cities, covering approximately 1.8 million kilometres without greenhouse gas emissions in 2025 alone.

Separately, Dachser has been operating hydrogen fuel-cell trucks since 2023 — and with the ADR 2025 regulation now permitting hydrogen vehicles for dangerous goods transport for the first time, the door is open for zero-emission hazardous materials logistics.

This isn’t a press release about aspirations. It’s a progress report on what’s actually working.

What you’ll learn:

• What Dachser achieved
• The 25 cities
• How they did it
• Hydrogen and dangerous goods: the ADR breakthrough
• What shippers should do

What Dachser achieved

Dachser launched its Emission-Free Delivery programme in 2018 with a pilot in Stuttgart. The concept was simple: identify inner-city delivery zones, replace diesel trucks with electric alternatives, and measure what works. Seven years later, the programme spans a continent.

The key figures from 2025:

That 95% reliability figure matters. It means emission-free delivery is not an experiment disrupting normal operations — it’s running at near-normal service levels. For a groupage carrier handling palleted freight (not parcels), that’s a significant achievement.

CDO Stefan Hohm: “Emission-Free Delivery was when we started to systematically integrate climate action into our day-to-day logistics operations instead of just talking about it. We’re pursuing measures that work under realistic conditions and that help decarbonise logistics.”

The 25 cities

The programme now covers cities across Western, Central, and Northern Europe:

Freiburg is a special case: the emission-free zone covers the entire city, not just the inner centre. It’s the most advanced deployment in the network.

The city selection is strategic. These are all major urban centres with existing or imminent low-emission zones, where regulatory pressure on diesel vehicles is highest. Dachser isn’t electrifying for the sake of it — they’re building capability where it will soon be mandatory.

How they did it

Dachser describes their approach as a modular toolbox: each city gets a combination of technologies adapted to local conditions.

Battery-electric trucks do the heavy lifting. The fleet includes vehicles from multiple manufacturers — most recently BYD ETM6 (7.5-tonne) trucks deployed in Spain in February 2026. For groupage freight (palleted, typically 500 kg–2,500 kg per delivery), electric trucks with 18-pallet capacity now have sufficient range for most urban distribution routes.

Electrically-assisted cargo bikes handle smaller deliveries and areas where truck access is restricted. These aren’t standard bicycle couriers — they’re designed for groupage-weight items.

Microhubs near city centres act as transhipment points: long-haul diesel trucks bring freight to the hub, and electric vehicles complete the last mile.

The infrastructure behind the vehicles is equally important. Dachser has installed 810+ charging stations at approximately 90 branches across 16 countries and built 74 photovoltaic systems generating 20,000 kWp of solar capacity. Since 2022, all Dachser branches purchase 100% green electricity via Guarantees of Origin.

COO Road Logistics Alexander Tonn: “A key factor in bringing the concept to new cities was the increasing availability of suitable production-ready vehicles, especially battery-electric trucks with sufficient payload and reliable service and maintenance offers. When we started this project, our options were much more limited.”

Hydrogen and dangerous goods: the ADR breakthrough

While batteries work for urban delivery, hydrogen fuel-cell trucks offer longer range and faster refuelling — making them candidates for regional distribution and heavier-duty applications.

Dachser deployed its first hydrogen trucks in 2023:

Both vehicles run on green hydrogen. The Magdeburg deployment partners with H2 Green Power & Logistics, which produces hydrogen via electrolysis using solar, wind, and biomass energy.

But the bigger story is ADR 2025. Until 1 January 2025, electric and hydrogen vehicles were not permitted to transport dangerous goods under the European ADR framework (Accord européen relatif au transport international des marchandises Dangereuses par Route). The 2025 revision changed that — for the first time, battery-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell trucks can be ADR-approved for flammable liquids, gases, and other hazardous categories.

This matters because Dachser Chem Logistics — the company’s specialised dangerous goods division — is one of Europe’s leading ADR transport providers. The convergence of hydrogen vehicles already in operation and a regulatory framework that now permits their use for hazardous materials opens a new frontier: zero-emission dangerous goods transport.

For context, the EU’s CO₂ standards for heavy-duty vehicles mandate a 45% emission reduction by 2030 and 90% by 2040 compared to 2019. Urban access restrictions are tightening across Europe. And the CountEmissionsEU regulation will require standardised emissions reporting. Together, these pressures make zero-emission capability not a differentiator but an approaching baseline.

What shippers should do

Dachser’s 25-city programme is the most concrete example of green groupage logistics at scale in Europe. Whether Dachser is your carrier or not, the trends it represents affect your logistics strategy:

1. Ask your carriers what they’re actually doing — There’s a difference between a sustainability page on a website and 60 electric trucks running 1.8 million kilometres. When evaluating carriers, ask for specifics: which cities, which vehicles, what reliability rate, what CO₂ reduction. Dachser publishes these numbers. Do your other carriers?

2. Factor in urban access restrictions — Cities across Europe are tightening access for diesel vehicles. If your supply chain relies on urban delivery — to retail stores, distribution centres, or end consumers — confirm that your carriers have zero-emission capability in the cities you need. Don’t wait for a delivery to be refused at the zone boundary.

3. Understand the cost implications — Emission-free delivery is not free. Electric trucks cost more upfront, charging infrastructure requires investment, and the economics depend on route density and vehicle utilisation. However, in countries introducing distance-based truck tolls — like the Netherlands from July 2026 — electric vehicles pay dramatically lower rates. The cost equation is shifting.

4. Watch the dangerous goods angle — If you ship hazardous materials, the ADR 2025 regulation is a regulatory milestone. Zero-emission ADR transport is now legally possible. Carriers like Dachser with existing hydrogen fleets and Chem Logistics expertise are best positioned to offer this. If you need to decarbonise your hazmat supply chain, the conversation can now start.

5. Use your TMS to track emissions by carrier and lane — You can’t manage what you don’t measure. A TMS that captures CO₂ data per shipment — by carrier, vehicle type, and route — lets you quantify the impact of choosing an emission-free delivery option versus a conventional one. When emissions reporting becomes mandatory under CountEmissionsEU, this data will be essential.

Dachser’s approach is deliberately pragmatic — they reject what they call “symbolic announcements” and focus on what works under realistic conditions. For shippers, that’s the right question to ask of every carrier: not what they’ve promised, but what they’ve delivered. Twenty-five cities, sixty electric trucks, and 1.8 million kilometres is a credible answer.

Sources: Dachser — Emission-free deliveries in 25 European cities (4 Mar 2026), Dachser — First hydrogen trucks in service (2 Aug 2022), UNECE — ADR 2025 (effective 1 Jan 2025).

Johan de Grijff, Commercial Director

published on: 9-3-2026

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