Why we are skeptical about electric trucks – and why this is only natural

From steam locomotives to smartphones, history is full of groundbreaking technologies that were initially met with ridicule or doubt. Today, electric trucks face much the same skepticism. Yet if history is any guide, today’s doubts may simply mark another step on the path to widespread adoption.
 

All the way back in 1937, the Gershwin brothers poked fun at humanity’s hesitation when it came to new ideas. Their humorous love song They All Laughed strings together vignettes of famous figures being mocked; Columbus for saying the Earth is round, Thomas Edison for capturing sound, and the Wright brothers for attempting to fly – and, above all, the narrator’s own unlikely romance. By the final refrain, the tables have turned: the dream comes true and, as so often with new ideas, the skeptics are the ones left without a punchline.
 

History is littered with such examples. The railway pioneers of the 1820s were dismissed as dreamers; the telephone was mocked by Britain’s Post Office chief as unnecessary (“We have plenty of messenger boys”); and light bulbs, cinema, and automobiles were each branded “failures” or “luxuries.”^[1] And yet each went on to reshape our world.
 

In modern times, the same doubts met the digital camera, the smartphone, and even GPS technology. Today, within the transport industry, electric trucks are simply the latest chapter in this long tradition of skepticism.

Why we’re wired to worry

Micco Grönholm, Marketing Lecturer at the School of Economics at Lund University, and an expert in change and innovation processes, explains that skepticism is not just common – it is deeply human.

“If our ancestors had jumped at every new thing without hesitation, many wouldn’t have survived. That same mechanism still exists today – only now it’s triggered by new technologies instead of unknown berries in the forest.”

Micco Grönholm points to three perspectives that explain why it often takes time for innovations to gain traction: the psychological, the practical, and the judgement perspective.

1. The psychological perspective

At its core, skepticism is a protective mechanism of the human brain.

“Our minds are designed to keep us safe. That’s why we often prefer the familiar over the new, even when the new might be better,” says Micco Grönholm.

He highlights three well-documented cognitive biases that hold innovations back:

• Status quo bias – we prefer what we already know. Diesel trucks have been around for a century – why change that?^[1]
  
• Ngativity bias – we focus more on risks than on opportunities. One breakdown of an electric truck can overshadow hundreds of successful journeys.^[2]
• Confirmation bias – we seek out information that confirms what we already believe. This is particularly visible in online forums, where skeptics reinforce each other and circulate critical information.^[3]

2. The practical perspective

Doubt isn’t only psychological – it’s often based on real, practical hurdles.

“For a technology to be attractive, it has to work in daily life. For electric trucks, that means, for example, reliable charging infrastructure,” says Micco Grönholm.

The rollout is happening. However as he points out, innovations usually depend on entire systems – not just the product itself. Fiber-optic broadband, for example, only spread once services, networks and regulations were aligned.

He also stresses the importance of incentives: “Sweden’s home-PC reform in the late 1990s made computers accessible for millions of households. Suddenly, Sweden became one of the most computer-dense countries in the world. Incentives can radically speed up adoption.”

The same logic applies to electric trucks – subsidies, infrastructure, and supporting ecosystems will be decisive.

3. The judgement perspective

Lastly comes what Micco Grönholm calls the judgement or observer perspective – the social dynamics of adoption.

Innovations spread in predictable waves, a process described by the sociologist Everett Rogers in his Diffusion of Innovations theory. First come the innovators, then early adopters, followed by the early majority. Only when the early majority embraces something does the broader market follow; the late majority and finally, the laggards.^[4]

“When the early majority starts driving electric trucks, that’s when the mainstream will think: ‘Maybe I should buy one too,’” says Micco Grönholm.

This tipping point often happens at around 15-20% adoption. Until then, skepticism is not a bug in the system – it’s part of the process. And this process takes time – something our brains often struggle to grasp.

“As Bill Gates once put it: We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten.”