The Does LogisticsMatter? Podcast is all about trends and innovations in supply chain and logistics. This episode features Marie-José and Jeroen Baartmans, founders of zero-emission transport company BREYTNER. Thank you Marie José and Jeroen for your hospitality and insights. It is too bad COVID prevented us from recording this podcast from the inside of a moving electric BREYTNER truck.
The First Zero-Emission Company in Europe
Marie-José and Jeroen were born with diesel in their veins, but a little over 6 years ago they decided to drain the diesel from their veins and plug into the grid! Being second generation owners of a transport company they decided to sell the company when opportunity arose.
In the meantime, they noticed a shift in the need for inner-city distribution. In 2014 Dutch cities like Rotterdam decided to close off the inner city for diesel-powered trucks. The air quality had turned so bad that a large part of the city was only accessible by zero-emission vehicles. They decided to take up that challenge and in 2015 they founded the first zero-emission transport company in Europe: BREYTNER.
When they approached the OEMs to see if they could buy zero-emission trucks, they got the same message everywhere: maybe some time in the future, but it’s diesel for now!
So they bought diesel trucks and, with the help of independent electric power train supplier EMOSS, immediately exchanged the diesel engines with battery-powered drive trains.
Battery vs. Hydrogen-Powered Trucks and the Tesla Semi!
To hear more about how Marie-José and Jeroen expanded their zero-emission transport company, listen to the podcast via one of the links below.
In the podcast, Jeroen also explains the difference between battery-powered and hydrogen-powered trucks and Marie-José talks about how BREYTNER became the second company in Europe and the first company in the Netherlands to order the Tesla Semi. We also talk about the future of zero-emission trucking and the role the government, the industry and the shippers play in it.
Please enjoy these topics and more in my conversation with Marie-José and Jeroen.
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