I’m Stefanie Van Damme, and I’m the project manager of ZEFES at ALICE (Alliance for Logistic Innovation through Collaboration in Europe). ALICE is the European Technology Platform (ETP) for innovation in logistics, a membership organisation, set-up to develop and implement a comprehensive industry lead strategy for research, innovation and market deployment in the field of logistics and supply chain management in Europe.
ALICE supports, assists and advises the European Commission in the implementation of the EU Programs for research: Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe.
The aim is to accelerate the transition to net zero emissions transport and logistics operations. To that end, interdisciplinary and multi-stakeholder collaborative innovation, like in the ZEFES project, is needed. The role of ALICE in ZEFES is essential to ensure industry voices are integrated and project outcomes are aligned with real-world logistics needs. ALICE also disseminates the ZEFES results back to the logistic industry and the European Commission.
What was your original motivation to become a researcher/project manager?
When I completed my bio-engineering degree, I wanted to make impact and work on sustainable solutions. I started a PhD on the combustion kinetics and the life cycle analysis of advanced biofuels. During my PhD, I felt that my impact on real-life processes, and real-life emission reduction was limited, so after finalisation I moved into the logistic industry and started to work for a Belgian retailer on the electrification of heavy-duty transport. I had the opportunity to manage the demonstration of fuel cell electric trucks and the realisation of the related fuelling equipment.
It became clear that deploying electric heavy-duty vehicles is challenging and involves the whole ecosystem: from road authorities to vehicle manufacturers, equipment providers and route planners. Bringing all this together goes well beyond desk studies. The whole ecosystem is evolving and collaborative innovation among stakeholders is essential for success. My current role within ALICE makes it possible to create such collaboration, which is where meaningful impact happens. ALICE is a platform where companies and research institutes meet and jointly develop innovative solutions for the logistic industry.
What is your (main) research area today?
My main research area is the electrification of heavy-duty transport, covering all technological solution: battery electric, fuel cell electric and even Electric Road Systems (ERS). Related to this topic, our team at ALICE explores automation of road freight, Mega-watt Charging Systems (MCS) and emission accounting. We are involved in several European projects addressing these themes.
What is the main focus of your team in ZEFES?
The main focus of ALICE is to accelerate the uptake of low-emission transport solutions in logistics. This can only be achieved if the needs and requirements of all the stakeholders are well understood and met through technology and service innovations for electrified road freight transport. In addition, decisions must be based on real-world data from demonstrations, rather than desk studies alone, to ensure that deployment strategies are viable and take into account interdependencies across the value chain.
Therefore, at the beginning of the ZEFES project, ALICE gathered the needs and requirements of all the stakeholders. We also organise dissemination events and webinars to share the ZEFES outcomes. Furthermore, ALICE actively contributes to mapping of the charging and fuelling infrastructure, as this is a bottleneck in the deployment of electric heavy-duty vehicles.
From all your activities within the project, what are you the most proud of/keen to share with the public?
At this stage, ALICE has conducted a comprehensive survey on needs and requirements, and identified 64 of them, along with important interdependencies between stakeholders in the electrified heavy-duty road transport value chain.
How do you expect the ZEFES results will impact your organisation and the transport sector in Europe?
Electrification of heavy-duty road transport impacts the entire logistics ecosystem. The success of this transition will depend on how effectively the various stakeholders across the value chain collaborate to overcome challenges, meet industry needs and ensure technological readiness.
