I’m Tharsis Teoh, Senior Technical Manager at Smart Freight Centre. I started working on electric vehicles in logistics through my PhD more than a decade ago, and since then my work has evolved from studying the technology itself to understanding what it takes to make large-scale transitions actually happen.
Today, I work with companies across the freight value chain, from shippers and carriers to the wider ecosystem, helping them navigate that transition.
What was your original motivation to become a technical manager manager?
I have always been motivated by the question of how we actually make the transition to sustainable logistics happen. That has led me to work at the intersection of logistics, sustainability and energy. I see knowledge services as an important part of the answer, because good analysis only really matters when it helps people make better decisions and take action.
What is your (main) research area today?
My main research area is how shippers can use their position in the freight value chain to accelerate electric truck adoption, particularly through demand, procurement and collaboration.
What is the main focus of your team in BELOGIC?
Our focus is benchmarking long-haul electric freight corridors globally and translating BELOGIC insights into practical roadmaps and guidance for logistics service providers.
From all your activities within the project, what are you the most proud of/keen to share with the public?
I am particularly keen to share our global benchmarking of long-haul electric freight corridors. Looking across different markets helps us understand not only where deployment is happening, but what conditions are making it possible, and what Europe can learn from those experiences.
How do you expect the BELOGIC results will impact your organisation and the transport sector in Europe?
I see digital transformation as an enabler of physical transformation. BELOGIC will help us test that logic, identify where inertia still exists, and hopefully move us one or two steps closer to a more sustainable and equitable transition.
