Maryland Clean Trucks Program

The analysis finds that transitioning Maryland's medium- and heavy-duty vehicle fleet to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) would yield significant net societal benefits, ranging from $6.6 billion under the ACT rule to over $11.6 billion under the 100 x 40 ZEV scenario by 2050. These benefits are driven by reductions in greenhouse gases, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter, leading to fewer premature deaths and hospital visits. While ZEVs currently have higher purchase costs, the report projects they will reach lifetime cost parity with combustion vehicles due to lower fuel and maintenance expenses. The transition is expected to have positive macroeconomic effects, including net national job gains and increased GDP, although it requires substantial investment in depot and public charging infrastructure.

• The Maryland medium- and heavy-duty (M/HD) vehicle fleet, consisting of 346,197 vehicles, is responsible for a disproportionate amount of pollution, emitting approximately 24 percent of all on-road greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, 51 percent of nitrogen oxide (NOx), and 41 percent of particulate matter (PM).
• Adopting the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule would result in cumulative net societal benefits of $6.6 billion through 2050, including 66 fewer premature deaths and 63 fewer hospital visits. The more aggressive '100 x 40 ZEV + Clean Grid' scenario would increase these benefits to over $11.6 billion, with 126 fewer premature deaths and 118 fewer hospital visits.
• By 2050, the ACT rule is projected to reduce annual fleet NOx and PM emissions by 40 percent and 25 percent respectively compared to the baseline. The 100 x 40 ZEV + Clean Grid scenario would reduce these emissions by 79 percent and 72 percent relative to the baseline.
• Cumulative GHG emission reductions through 2050 are estimated at nearly 28.3 million metric tons under the ACT rule and 61.4 million metric tons under the 100 x 40 ZEV + Clean Grid scenario, with monetized values of over $2.5 billion and $5.5 billion respectively.
• While ZEVs have higher initial purchase costs, they are projected to produce an average of $50,500 in discounted fuel and maintenance cost savings over their lifetime. The average ZEV is expected to provide between $9,000 to $22,000 in discounted lifetime net savings compared to a combustion vehicle.
• The transition to ZEVs is projected to have positive national macroeconomic effects. Under the most aggressive scenario, net national job gains are estimated at 2,934 in 2035, with a $459 million increase in 2035 GDP. Average wages for new jobs are expected to be nearly twice as high as those for replaced jobs.
• Implementing the 100 x 40 ZEV scenario would require significant infrastructure investment, with fleet owners spending an average of $101.4 million per year on depot charging and public/private investors spending an average of $54.0 million per year on the public charging network.
• Increased electricity sales from M/HD EV charging could lower electricity rates for Maryland customers. Under the 100 x 40 ZEV scenario, average residential rates could decrease by up to 3.68% by 2050, saving the average household $77.71 and the average commercial customer $278.10 per year.

APA

Seamonds, D., Slawsky, L., & DeBaecke, R. (2023). Maryland Clean Trucks Program. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2023-08/md-clean-trucks-report.pdf

Chicago

Seamonds, David, Lauren Slawsky, and Riley DeBaecke. Maryland Clean Trucks Program. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2023. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2023-08/md-clean-trucks-report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Seamonds |first1=David |last2=Slawsky |first2=Lauren |last3=DeBaecke |first3=Riley |title=Maryland Clean Trucks Program |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=August 2023 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2023-08/md-clean-trucks-report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{seamonds2023maryland, author = {Seamonds, David and Slawsky, Lauren and DeBaecke, Riley}, title = {{Maryland Clean Trucks Program}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2023}, month = aug, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2023-08/md-clean-trucks-report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }