Electric medium- and heavy-duty trucks will be cheaper than diesel trucks by 2035

The US Department of Energy today released a study showing that by 2035, electric medium- and heavy-duty trucks will cost the same as or less than diesel trucks.

And by 2030, nearly half of electric medium- and heavy-duty trucks will be cheaper to buy, operate, and maintain than diesel trucks.

Battery electric trucks are expected to become cost competitive for smaller trucks before 2030, while heavy trucks with less than 500 miles of range are projected to be cost competitive by 2035. 

Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles are expected to become cost competitive for long-haul, heavy-duty trucks with greater than 500 miles of range by 2035. 

The study, which was published by the DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), finds that continued improvements to zero emission vehicle and fuel technologies will enable clean trucks to become cheaper and more readily available over the next decade.

Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles account for less than 5% of the vehicles on the road but produce more than 20% of emissions from the transportation sector, which currently accounts for more than one-third of US greenhouse gas emissions.

US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said:

The Biden Administration’s comprehensive approach is working to make clean transportation a reality — by reducing exposure to volatile fuel prices, investing in American manufacturing, and creating a national charging network to support more electric vehicles on the road.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is investing more than $7 billion into the supply chain for batteries over the next five years. The law also invests $7.5 billion to expand the nation’s electric vehicle charging network up to 500,000 charging stations. 

Read more: Tesla unveils fleet of new ‘Tesla Semi’ electric trucks

Photo: Mercedes-Benz

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