In 2021, the Biden administration announced a plan to reduce the use of fossil fuels by switching American drivers to greener technologies like electric vehicles — all part of a much greater plan to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. This includes the push toward a greener transportation industry — the largest source of emissions.
A recent report shows how far the transportation industry remains from the net-zero goal. A Diesel Technology Forum analysis shows that the trucking industry falls short of the original goals, even though there has been an influx of alternative fuel and EV technology.
According to the analysis, 76% of the roughly 15 million commercial trucks that make up U.S. fleets are diesel-powered, and of the largest (Class 8) trucks, 97% are diesel-powered.
“We are seeing more people converting to EVs for personal use; this is easy to see because of the ability to adapt to the range limitations that the batteries and cars have, as well as the current infrastructure,” said Danny Gomez, managing director of financial and emerging markets at FreightWaves. “It doesn’t yet work for long-haul trucking for the same reasons — battery and vehicle range and charging infrastructure. The ability to implement this is costly.”
Because a high percentage of U.S. trucks belong to small owner-operators, the upfront expense can be daunting — keeping the owner from even beginning to consider cleaner technology.
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