Market Spotlight
Race to zero: Zero-emission bus and truck market in the United States, 2024
Summary
Zero-emission market by vehicle type
In all of 2024, zero-emission vehicles accounted for 7.0% of bus registrations, 0.18% of medium-duty truck registrations, and 0.40% of heavy-duty truck registrations. In the last quarter of 2024, zero-emission vehicles accounted for 8.30% of new bus registrations, 0.24% of new medium-duty truck registrations, and 0.40% of new heavy-duty truck registrations. Across all three vehicle types, Q4 2024 had higher shares of zero-emission registrations than Q4 2023, and higher zero-emission registration shares than Q3 2024.
In 2024, trucks represented 53% of zero-emission MHD vehicle registrations, and buses made up 47%. Zero-emission buses and heavy-duty trucks have comprised most zero-emission MHD vehicle registrations from 2021 to 2024, with zero-emission buses accounting for about half of the market in most quarters.
Figure 1.1. Number of new zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicle registrations, 2021–2024
Figure 1.2. Share of new medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicle registrations by type and powertrain
in 2024
Table 1.1. Share of new zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles registrations over time
|
Vehicle type |
Zero-emission share in Q4 2024 |
Zero-emission share in 2024 |
Change in registrations from Q3 2024 |
Change in registrations from Q4 2023 |
Change in registrations from 2023 |
|
Bus |
8.3% |
7.0% |
+ 21.2% |
+ 34.5% |
+ 127.7% |
|
Medium-duty trucks |
0.2% |
0.2% |
+ 26.0% |
+ 63.5% |
+ 72.7% |
|
Heavy-duty trucks |
0.4% |
0.4% |
+ 27.4% |
+ 57.7% |
+ 34.4% |
|
All HDVs |
0.6% |
0.6% |
+ 34.2% |
+ 52.1% |
+ 81.0% |
Buses
With a gross vehicle weight rating above 14,001 LB
In 2024, 1,334 zero-emission buses were registered, representing approximately 7% of new bus registrations. In the first quarter of 2024, zero-emission buses made up over 10% of total bus registrations. The number of zero-emission buses registrations dropped slightly in the second and third quarters before reaching nearly 380 zero-emission buses in Q4, or 8% of new bus registrations.
Class 7 buses, which have a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) between 26,001 and 33,000 lb, made up 85% of zero-emission bus registrations in 2024. No Class 6 zero-emission buses (GVWR less than 26,000 lb) were registered in 2024. All zero-emission buses registered in the United States in 2024 were multi-purpose buses and city buses.
In 2024, Daimler and Traton were the largest manufacturer groups, and made up approximately 52% and 45% of new internal combustion engine (ICE) bus registrations, respectively, and accounted for 45% and 43% of the zero-emission market in 2024. Zero-emission buses made up approximately 9% of Daimler’s total bus registrations and nearly 6% of Traton’s bus registrations in the United States. Lion Electric, an all-electric manufacturer, recorded the remaining zero-emission buses registered.
Figure 2.1. Number of new zero-emission bus vehicle registrations in the United States, 2021–2024
Figure 2.2. Share of new zero-emission bus vehicle registrations by type and powertrain in 2024
Figure 2.4. New bus registrations in the United States by vehicle type and powertrain in 2024
Table 2.1. Market share by manufacturer group for new internal combustion engine and zero-emission bus registrations in the United States in 2024
|
Manufacturer group |
Zero-emission market share |
Internal combustion engine market share |
|
Daimler |
45.1% |
52.1% |
|
Traton |
43.2% |
45.0% |
|
Lion Electric |
11.7% |
0.0% |
Table 2.2. Share of zero-emission bus registrations in the United States by manufacturer group in 2023 and 2024
|
Manufacturer group |
Zero-emission share in Q4 2024 |
Zero-emission share in 2024 |
Change in registrations from Q3 2024 |
Change in registrations from Q4 2023 |
Change in registrations from 2023 |
|
Daimler |
9.0% |
6.1% |
+16.7% |
+60.3% |
+100.7% |
|
Traton |
5.7% |
6.8% |
+13.5% |
+1.7% |
+189.4% |
|
Lion Electric |
100.0% |
100.0% |
+78.6% |
+47.1% |
+194.3% |
Medium-duty trucks
Trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating between 14,001 and 26,000 LB (class 4–6)
In 2024, there were 373 zero-emission medium-duty trucks registered in the United States, a 73% increase from 2023. In the last quarter of 2024, zero-emission medium-duty trucks were approximately 0.24% of the total registrations, higher than the 0.18% share in all of 2024. This percentage nearly matched the peak share of 0.27% observed in the third quarter of 2022.
Class 5 and 6 made up almost all zero-emission medium-duty truck registrations in 2024. Rigid trucks accounted for about 30% of zero-emission registrations. Light commercial trucks (56%) recorded the highest share of vehicle type in the zero-emission medium-duty truck market.
Daimler accounted for 77% of the zero-emission medium-duty trucks registered in 2024, followed by Traton (3%). Other manufactures, such as Paccar and Volvo Truck, collectively made up 20%. Most major manufacturers sold few zero-emission vehicles in this segment. The low registration volumes of medium-duty trucks are reflected by large fluctuations of percentage change from quarter to quarter.
🔍 Click on the figures to take a closer look at the data
Figure 3.2. Share of new zero-emission medium-duty trucks registrations in the United States
Figure 3.4. New medium-duty truck registrations in the United States by vehicle type and powertrain in 2024
Table 3.1. Market share by manufacturer group for new internal combustion engine and zero-emission medium-duty truck registrations in the United States in 2024
|
Manufacturer group |
Zero-emission market share |
Internal combustion engine market share |
|
Ford |
0.0% |
44.9% |
|
Daimler |
77.5% |
11.0% |
|
Isuzu |
0.0% |
10.7% |
|
General Motors |
0.0% |
9.4% |
|
Traton |
2.9% |
8.4% |
|
Stellantis |
0.0% |
7.9% |
|
Toyota |
0.0% |
2.9% |
|
Others |
19.6% |
4.6% |
Table 3.2. Share of zero-emission medium-truck registrations in the United States by manufacturer group in 2023 and 2024
|
Manufacturer group |
Zero-emission share in Q4 2024 |
Zero-emission share in 2024 |
Change in registrations from Q3 2024 |
Change in registrations from Q4 2023 |
Change in registrations from 2023 |
|
Daimler |
2.0% |
1.3% |
+23.6% |
+685.7% |
+896.6% |
|
Traton |
0.0% |
0.1% |
0.0% |
-100.0% |
-38.9% |
|
Others |
0.3% |
0.8% |
+57.1% |
-45.5% |
-56.8% |
Heavy-duty trucks
A total of 1,103 zero-emission heavy-duty trucks were registered in 2024, 34% more than in 2023 and nearly four times more than in 2022. Out of roughly 277,000 heavy-duty trucks registered, zero-emission heavy-duty trucks accounted for 0.40%. The first quarter of 2024 saw the highest share of zero-emission heavy-duty truck registrations to date, reaching around 0.47%.
Tractor trucks (89%) and rigid trucks (11%) were popular body types in the zero-emission market. Class 8 tractor trucks were the most popular weight class and accounted for 89% of all zero-emission trucks registered, reflecting manufacturers’ deployment of battery electric drayage trucks. Class 7 and 8 rigid trucks together accounted for 11% of zero-emission truck registrations in 2024.
The four largest manufacturers of ICE heavy-duty trucks also dominated the zero-emission market, collectively representing approximately 63% of registrations in 2024. For Daimler, Paccar, Volvo Truck, and Traton—the top four heavy-duty truck manufacturer groups in the United States—zero-emission products account for less than 1% of total registrations. The substantial change in manufacturer zero-emission market share observed over different periods reflects the small volume of sales.
🔍 Click on the figures to take a closer look at the data
Figure 4.2. Share of new zero-emission heavy-duty trucks registrations in the United States
Figure 4.4. New heavy-duty truck registrations in the United States by vehicle type and powertrain in 2024
Table 4.1. Market share by manufacturer group for new internal combustion engine and zero-emission heavy-duty truck registrations in the United States in 2024
|
Manufacturer group |
Zero-emission market share |
Internal combustion engine market share |
|
Daimler |
22.8% |
38.7% |
|
Paccar |
6.8% |
30.1% |
|
Volvo Truck |
31.5% |
15.1% |
|
Traton |
1.9% |
11.5% |
|
Autocar |
3.8% |
0.8% |
|
Others |
33.2% |
3.8% |
Table 4.2. Share of zero-emission heavy-duty registrations in the United States by manufacturer group in 2023 and 2024
|
Manufacturer group |
Zero-emission share in Q4 2024 |
Zero emission share in 2024 |
Change in registrations from Q3 2024 |
Change in registrations from Q4 2023 |
Change in registrations from 2023 |
|
|
Daimler |
0.1% |
0.2% |
-31.4% |
-31.4% |
-21.8% |
|
|
Paccar |
0.1% |
0.1% |
+12.5% |
-47.1% |
+59.6% |
|
|
Volvo Truck |
0.9% |
0.8% |
+135.7% |
+23.8% |
+135.1% |
|
|
Traton |
0.1% |
0.1% |
-50.0% |
+66.7% |
0.0% |
|
|
Autocar |
1.9% |
1.8% |
-35.3% |
+1000.0% |
+4100.0% |
|
|
Others |
4.4% |
3.5% |
+21.9% |
+254.5% |
+28.5% |
|
Definitions, data sources, methodology, and assumptions
A zero-emission vehicle is any vehicle whose propulsion system produces zero combustion emissions, such as a dedicated battery electric, fuel-cell electric, or other motor that is not driven by combustion.
A heavy-duty vehicle is a commercial vehicle, intended for the transport of passengers or freight, with a gross vehicle weight above 3.5 tonnes.
A heavy truck is a truck with a gross vehicle weight above 12 tonnes.
A light and medium commercial vehicle is a truck or van with a gross vehicle weight between 3.5 and 12 tonnes.
A city bus is a passenger vehicle with a gross vehicle weight above 3.5 tonnes that is used exclusively in urban environments.
An interurban bus is a passenger vehicle with a gross vehicle weight above 3.5 tonnes that is used in both urban and regional environments.
A coach is a passenger vehicle with a gross vehicle weight above 3.5 tonnes that is used exclusively in regional environments.
All data are supplied by Dataforce. All countries from the EU-27, except Bulgaria, are covered here.