The Future of the Trucking Industry: Electric Semi-Trucks

The document outlines the transition of the U.S. trucking industry toward electric semi-trucks, highlighting public health benefits and lower total cost of ownership against challenges like high upfront costs and limited charging infrastructure. It details how federal laws, such as the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, as well as state-level initiatives, are working to achieve cost parity with diesel vehicles and expand charging networks.

• Transitioning to zero-emission trucking in the U.S. could result in significant public health improvements between 2020 and 2050, including the prevention of 66,800 premature deaths, 1.75 million asthma attacks, and 8.5 million lost work days, totaling $735 billion in cumulative benefits.
• Electric semi-trucks offer a lower total cost of ownership compared to diesel models due to cheaper and more stable electricity rates and reduced maintenance from simpler drivetrains. A 2021 Lawrence Berkeley National Lab study estimated that an electric semi-truck with a 375-mile range would save $200,000 over a 15-year lifetime, with a cost of $1.51 per mile versus $1.73 per mile for diesel.
• Significant barriers to adoption include high initial purchase costsup to 2.8 times higher than diesel trucks without incentivesand a lack of heavy-duty charging infrastructure. While current electric semi-trucks have a shorter range (up to 500 miles) than diesel trucks (up to 2,000 miles), mandatory driver rest periods can be used for recharging to maintain efficient schedules.
• Federal and state policies are accelerating the transition. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provides tax credits up to $40,000 per electric truck over 14,000 pounds and a $1 billion Clean Heavy Duty Vehicle Program. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) focuses on building public charging stations every 50 miles along alternative fuel corridors. Additionally, five states have adopted California's Advanced Clean Truck Act to increase zero-emission semi-truck sales by 75%.

APA

Agrawal, S. (2023). The Future of the Trucking Industry: Electric Semi-Trucks. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_Electric_Trucks_2023.pdf

Chicago

Agrawal, Shreya. The Future of the Trucking Industry: Electric Semi-Trucks. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2023. https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_Electric_Trucks_2023.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Agrawal |first1=Shreya |title=The Future of the Trucking Industry: Electric Semi-Trucks |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |date=April 2023 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_Electric_Trucks_2023.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{agrawal2023future, author = {Agrawal, Shreya}, title = {{The Future of the Trucking Industry: Electric Semi-Trucks}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2023}, month = apr, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_Electric_Trucks_2023.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }