The Role of Hydrogen in the Medium- and Heavy-Duty Trucking Sectors

The report argues that hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks (FCETs) are best suited for long-haul heavy-duty trucking due to superior payload capacity, range, and refueling speeds compared to battery electric trucks (BETs). However, adoption is currently stymied by a 'chicken-and-egg' infrastructure problem and high fuel costs, with public hydrogen in California costing approximately $25/kg compared to a diesel-competitive price of roughly $6.50/kg. While California is the primary driver of adoption due to regulations like the Advanced Clean Fleet and Advanced Clean Trucks rules, projections from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) suggest slow penetration unless significant interventions occur. The report recommends prioritizing the reduction of pump prices—even if it requires accepting higher carbon intensity in the short term—and streamlining infrastructure permitting to enable a transition away from diesel by 2030.

• Hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks (FCETs) are considered more suitable for long-haul heavy-duty trucking than battery electric trucks (BETs) because they offer heavier payloads, longer travel distances, and faster refueling times, allowing them to replace diesel Class 8 trucks on a one-for-one basis.
• The adoption of FCETs is hindered by a reciprocal dependency where fueling operators require committed truck fleets to justify investment, while fleet managers refuse to purchase trucks without guaranteed fueling infrastructure.
• High fuel costs are the primary barrier to FCET adoption; public hydrogen in Southern California costs about $25 per kilogram, whereas it would need to be approximately $6.50 per kilogram to be competitive with diesel on a dollars-per-energy delivered basis.
• California is the leading U.S. location for hydrogen truck adoption due to regulatory requirements such as the Advanced Clean Fleet (ACF) and Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) regulations, and incentives like the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) and the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP).
• Texas is identified as the second most likely location for adoption due to existing hydrogen production capacity and abundant wind and natural gas resources, making it suitable for green, blue, and gray hydrogen production.
• CARB's preliminary EMFAC202Y projections suggest slow FCET penetration in California, estimating they will make up 2% of the MD/HD truck fleet by 2031, 5% by 2037, and 11% by 2045.
• To achieve carbon neutrality by 2045, California's Scoping Plan 'Planning Scenario' indicates a need for much higher FCET utilization than current projections, with FCETs potentially making up 45.1% of the HD trucking sector by 2045.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (2024). The Role of Hydrogen in the Medium- and Heavy-Duty Trucking Sectors. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/01112600/role-hydrogen-medium-heavy-duty-trucking.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. The Role of Hydrogen in the Medium- and Heavy-Duty Trucking Sectors. 2024. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/01112600/role-hydrogen-medium-heavy-duty-trucking.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=The Role of Hydrogen in the Medium- and Heavy-Duty Trucking Sectors |date=October 2024 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/01112600/role-hydrogen-medium-heavy-duty-trucking.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cleanairtaskforce2024role, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{The Role of Hydrogen in the Medium- and Heavy-Duty Trucking Sectors}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2024}, month = oct, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/01112600/role-hydrogen-medium-heavy-duty-trucking.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }