What is the ERE scheme and what does it mean for your logistics business?

The ERE scheme quietly changed the economics of electric trucking in the Netherlands. Since January 1, 2026, every kilowatt-hour charged into an e-truck can earn you 16 to 18 cents through Emission Reduction Units (EREs). With rooftop solar and a battery behind the meter, that number can almost double.

For a logistics operator running a single e-truck, that translates to 5,000 to 6,000 euros of annual income per vehicle. More than the average margin on a diesel truck. This article explains what the ERE scheme is, what it pays, and how to set up your energy infrastructure so the math actually works.

The ERE scheme turned Dutch charging infrastructure into a revenue stream. For logistics operators with electric trucks, the income now exceeds the margin on a diesel equivalent, which shifts the business case in a fundamental way.

The ERE scheme pays 16 to 18 cents per charged kWh for electric trucks, up from 10 to 12 cents last year.

• A single e-truck charging 100,000 to 120,000 kWh a year earns 5,000 to 6,000 euros in ERE income. More than the average margin on a diesel truck.
• With on-site solar and a battery behind the meter, that yield can almost double, toward 30 cents per kWh.
• The math now works across more than half of logistics use cases. The real constraint is grid capacity.

The operators who lock in the right charging hardware, EAN setup, solar metering, and energy management layer this year will compound that advantage for years. The ones who wait will enter the market under tighter ERE prices and fewer available incentives.

What is the ERE scheme?

The ERE scheme is a Dutch market system that rewards the use of renewable energy in road transport. ERE stands for Emissie Reductie Eenheden, or Emission Reduction Units. One ERE represents one kilogram of CO₂ avoided compared to fossil fuel. The system is run by the Dutch Emissions Authority (NEa) and replaces the older HBE scheme (Renewable Fuel Units). Since January 1, 2026, it applies to the entire mobility sector.

The shift from HBE to ERE is more than a rename. Under HBE, fuel suppliers could cover their renewable obligations by sourcing cheap units from sectors like shipping. That loophole is closed. Road transport obligations must now be met with road transport EREs. The structural cost of compliance has gone up, and that cost ends up in the diesel price at the pump.

The consequence is a double effect. Diesel gets more expensive. Electric charging gets more valuable. The gap between the two is widening quickly.

What does the ERE scheme pay per kWh?

At current market prices, charging point holders earn 16 to 18 cents per charged kWh. That is a significant jump from the 10 to 12 cents that were typical just months ago. For a logistics operator, the numbers scale fast.

A typical e-truck consumes 100,000 to 120,000 kWh per year. At current ERE prices, that works out to 5,000 to 6,000 euros of extra revenue per truck, per year. For context: the average operating margin on a diesel truck sits around 4,500 euros a year. The ERE income alone, on a single electric truck, now exceeds the full margin on a diesel equivalent.

If the electricity comes from your own solar installation and you charge through a battery, you can qualify for double compensation. That pushes the effective yield close to 30 cents per kWh. A gross production meter (BPM) on the solar side is required to claim it.

What are the conditions?

Three requirements have to be met:

For the double compensation on solar charging, add a gross production meter on the solar side. Without it, self-generated kWh count the same as grid kWh.

Why public charging does not solve this

Only 1.5 to 2 percent of the 165,000 trucks on Dutch roads are electric. That low base is a real problem for the public charging network. Utilisation is too thin to make a healthy return, which keeps public prices high. Most transport operators pay 60 cents or more per kWh at public fast chargers, versus under 30 cents on their own depot.

That price gap is the reason serious logistics operators treat public charging as a backup, not a strategy. The ERE scheme reinforces this logic. Earning 16 to 18 cents per kWh only works if you are the one holding the charge session and the EAN contract. At a public charge point, you are not.

For fleet operators, the conclusion is straightforward: depot charging is where the ERE business case lives.

The combination that changes the business case

Electric trucks become genuinely cheaper to run than diesel when three elements come together.

The first element is the truck itself. That problem is mostly solved. Range and TCO are now competitive across more than half of logistics use cases, even at current diesel prices.

The second element is the energy infrastructure. Depot charging at under 30 cents per kWh, ideally with on-site solar and battery storage. Self-generated kWh cuts your variable cost and unlocks double ERE compensation. Battery storage smooths your grid draw and lets you shift charging to the cheapest hours.

The third element is intelligent control. Once you combine trucks, chargers, solar, and battery, the optimisation is beyond human scheduling. There are too many variables moving at once: energy prices, weather, truck departure times, grid limits. This is where an AI-driven EMS earns its place.

Our AI engine Alice recalculates the control plan every five minutes, based on live price signals, weather forecasts, and the state of every connected asset. At logistics depots this typically delivers 20 to 40 percent more usable capacity within the existing grid connection, without any reinforcement. Alice also prioritises solar-charged kWh during peak production hours, pushing up the share that qualifies for double ERE compensation.

Grid congestion is the real bottleneck

The ERE business case is only useful if you can actually charge your trucks. In practice, that is where many Dutch logistics operators get stuck. Grid congestion has made new or expanded connections a multi-year waiting game in large parts of the country.

The common assumption is that this means waiting for the grid operator to catch up. It does not. Most depots can add significant charging load inside their existing connection, simply by managing the load intelligently.

At Enexis Best, the Tibo EMS delivered 45 percent lower energy costs and 50 percent CO₂ reduction without a single kW of added grid capacity. That same principle applies to logistics: smart energy management frees up capacity that is already there but unused during most hours of the day.

Without it, the calculation works on paper but fails in operation. As one sector voice put it recently: the math adds up now, but you still have to be able to execute it.

The electricity cost gap is widening

Diesel used to be a predictable cost line. Everyone paid roughly the same price per litre, and the variation was small. Electricity is different. Depending on how you organise your depot, contracts, solar, battery, and EMS, the real cost per kWh can vary by 50 percent between two logistics operators running similar fleets.

That means the operators who set up their infrastructure well will compound the advantage. Cheaper kWh, higher ERE income, better utilisation of every asset. The ones who do not will end up paying retail prices for their trucks, their electricity, and their ERE administration, and wondering why the numbers are tighter than they expected.

What to do now?

Four practical steps for logistics operators who want to move:

The window where early movers capture outsized advantage is temporary. As more fleets electrify, public charging utilisation will rise, ERE supply will increase, and the current price levels will normalise. The logistics operators who lock in their infrastructure now will carry that margin advantage forward for years.

Want to see what Tibo’s EMS can deliver on your logistics site? Request a demo and we will run the numbers for your specific fleet, grid connection, and solar setup.