Clean Energy 101: Electric Trucks

This guide from RMI outlines the current state and potential for electrifying various trucking sectors in North America, from passenger pickups and delivery vans to medium-duty box trucks and heavy-duty big rigs. It highlights the economic viability of electrification for several segments and the significant greenhouse gas emission reductions possible through the transition.

• The 'Run on Less – Electric' demonstration conducted by RMI and the North American Council on Freight Efficiency (NACFE) in 2021 determined that four specific trucking segments are currently economically viable for electrification: terminal tractors, heavy-duty regional haul tractors, medium-duty box trucks, and vans and step vans.
• Electrifying the van and step van market in the United States and Canada, which is projected to grow to 8 million vehicles by 2030, could prevent nearly 43.5 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. For a gas delivery van averaging 100 miles per day, annual fuel costs are estimated at just over $10,000, compared to just under $2,000 for an electric alternative.
• Medium-duty box trucks in the United States and Canada, numbering just under 400,000, are considered fully electrifiable because they typically travel less than 100 miles per day. Full electrification of this segment would save over 7.6 million tons of GHG emissions every year.
• While heavy-duty tractor-trailers are more difficult to electrify due to load and range requirements, NACFE estimates that 70 percent of these trucks in the United States and Canada could be electrified, avoiding nearly 29 million tons of annual greenhouse gas emissions. An RMI study indicated that 49 percent of these trucks in California and New York currently drive routes short enough to be served by existing or soon-to-be-available electric trucks.
• Major corporate commitments to electrification include Amazon's order of 100,000 Rivian vans, UPS's order of 10,000 Arrival vans, and FedEx's goal for all new vehicle purchases to be electric by 2030. Additionally, Ford plans to produce 150,000 electric F-150s annually.

APA

RMI (2022). Clean Energy 101: Electric Trucks. https://rmi.org/resources/clean-energy-101-electric-trucks/

Chicago

RMI. Clean Energy 101: Electric Trucks. 2022. https://rmi.org/resources/clean-energy-101-electric-trucks/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Clean Energy 101: Electric Trucks |date=11 May 2022 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/clean-energy-101-electric-trucks/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2022clean, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Clean Energy 101: Electric Trucks}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2022}, month = may, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/clean-energy-101-electric-trucks/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }