Briefing

Battery-electric trucks: The most affordable path to decarbonizing tractor-trailers

Despite their environmental benefits, the widespread adoption of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles will only occur if it also leads to economic benefits. To shed light on their financial viability, ICCT recently published a study evaluating the total cost of ownership (TCO) of Class 8 tractor-trailers with four different technologies: diesel, battery electric, hydrogen fuel-cell, and hydrogen combustion powertrains.

The study finds that by 2030, the TCO of battery-electric long-haul trucks will likely be lower than that of their diesel counterparts in all representative states analyzed. Despite their higher upfront price, battery electric trucks have substantially lower operational expenses than the other trucks studied due to their higher energy efficiency and lower maintenance costs. For very high daily mileages, battery electric trucks can still achieve a better total cost of ownership than their diesel counterparts despite the larger battery size required.

This Thursday, ICCT experts Ray Minjares and Hussein Basma will offer a briefing for the press and stakeholders explaining how we determined the total cost of ownership for the various technologies and upcoming policy implications. Register for free to join the conversation.

Speakers

Ray Minjares, Heavy-Duty Vehicles Program Director and San Francisco Managing Director, ICCT

Hussein Basma, Heavy-Duty Vehicles Program Researcher, ICCT

Attachments

Contact:
Ray Minjares