Evidence on low-carbon technologies for commercial vehicles

The report examines the decarbonization of the commercial vehicle sector, which contributes 37% of road-transport CO2 emissions. It highlights that technology pathways are shaped by national priorities and geopolitical interests, notes the uncertain cost-competitiveness of long-haul low-carbon trucks, and discusses the tension between OEM diversification and the need for economies of scale.

• Commercial vehicles constitute a small portion of the global vehicle stock but are responsible for 37% of CO2 emissions from road transport.
• The selection and scaling of low-carbon technologies are driven by strategic factors including national priorities, geopolitical relationships, legacy industries, and existing infrastructure, which impact technology availability and energy costs.
• While battery-electric trucks (BETs) are currently the technological leader, their total cost of ownership (TCO) for long-haul operations remains uncertain and highly dependent on assumptions regarding infrastructure, energy costs, and purchase prices.
• Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are diversifying technology pathways to prevent policy misalignment and technological lock-in, though this must be balanced against the need for economies of scale and the current maturity of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs).
• There is no single universal pathway for decarbonizing commercial transport because the sector varies widely, ranging from urban vans and buses to long-haul heavy trucks.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2026). Evidence on low-carbon technologies for commercial vehicles. https://www.sei.org/publications/evidence-on-low-carbon-technologies-for-commercial-vehicles/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Evidence on low-carbon technologies for commercial vehicles. 2026. https://www.sei.org/publications/evidence-on-low-carbon-technologies-for-commercial-vehicles/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Evidence on low-carbon technologies for commercial vehicles |date=24 April 2026 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/evidence-on-low-carbon-technologies-for-commercial-vehicles/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2026evidence, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Evidence on low-carbon technologies for commercial vehicles}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/evidence-on-low-carbon-technologies-for-commercial-vehicles/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }