Heavy-duty electric trucks are a recognized technology, capable of reducing the transportation sector’s greenhouse gas emissions. Given the barriers that must be surmounted to increase electric truck deployments—including lack of charging facilities, limited (but ever increasing) model availability, and a lack of widespread government support to address higher upfront purchase prices—finding regions well-suited for regional haul electric truck deployments is key to ensuring their initial success and thereby advancing the overall market.

This first-of-its-kind report proposes a framework for prioritizing US and Canadian regions for electric truck deployments based on differences in key enabling traits. The highest priority regions share traits such as relatively mild weather, cheap electricity prices, high levels of freight movement, a pressing need to improve air quality, and supportive policies and incentives.

Commercial trucking is an essential industry, particularly to support health care, the food system, and e-commerce order fulfillment in this time of COVID-19. Shifting to electric vehicles is crucial to reduce transport sector greenhouse gas emissions.

The report identifies eight high-priority regions for regional haul electric truck deployments: Northern and Southern California, the Texas Triangle, Cascadia, (stretching from Portland, Oregon through Seattle and into Vancouver, Canada), the Colorado Front Range, the Northeast U.S., the Greater Toronto Area, and Greater Montreal. NACFE and RMI have long championed regional haul trucking operations as the segment best suited to be early adopters of battery electric trucks. This is due to its relatively short-haul nature—typically less than 300 miles / 480 kilometers per day—and return-to-base operations, which make charging infrastructure buildout relatively straightforward. Regional haul is also well-suited to the range of electric trucks currently on the market.

The report also examines how cooperation between trucking fleets and multiple stakeholders is critical to success:

• Provincial, state, city, and utility incentives are crucial for encouraging trucking fleets to switch from diesel-fueled to electric trucks.
• Trucking fleets can partner with local technical schools and colleges to find and train staff to drive, manage, and service electric trucks, creating local economic opportunity and job creation in a green economy.
• Early planning between stakeholders is crucial to building infrastructure and acquiring vehicles on an appropriate timeline.

To download the Regions Technical Appendix please visit, High-Potential Regions for Electric Truck Deployments: Technical Appendix.

To download the Data Analysis please visit, Electric Trucks Data Analysis.