Washington Clean Trucks Program An Analysis of the Impacts of Zero-Emission Medium- and Heavy-Duty Trucks on the Environment, Public Health, Industry, and the Economy

The report analyzes the transition of Washington's medium- and heavy-duty (M/HD) vehicle fleet to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) under three scenarios: the ACT Rule, the ACT + NOx Omnibus Rule, and a highly ambitious '100 x 40 ZEV + Clean Grid' scenario. The most aggressive scenario is projected to generate cumulative net societal benefits of over $42.8 billion by 2050, including significant reductions in premature deaths and greenhouse gas emissions. While ZEVs currently have higher purchase costs, the analysis predicts lifetime cost parity with combustion vehicles by 2030. The transition is expected to benefit electric utilities through increased revenue and potentially lower electricity rates for residential and commercial customers, while creating national job gains in electrical component manufacturing and infrastructure construction.

• The '100 x 40 ZEV + Clean Grid' scenario, which aims for virtually all new trucks to be ZEVs by 2040 and a carbon-free grid by 2050, would result in cumulative net societal benefits exceeding $42.8 billion through 2050, with 288 fewer premature deaths and 242 fewer hospital visits.
• The least aggressive scenario, adopting California's Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) rule, is projected to yield cumulative net societal benefits of nearly $24.9 billion by 2050, including 114 fewer premature deaths and 97 fewer hospital visits.
• Average medium- and heavy-duty ZEVs in Washington are expected to reach lifetime cost parity with combustion vehicles by 2030, driven by over $65,000 in discounted fuel and maintenance savings over a 21-year vehicle life.
• The transition to ZEVs is projected to increase net national jobs through 2035, with new roles in electrical component manufacturing and charging infrastructure construction paying nearly 50% more on average than the jobs they replace.
• Increased electricity sales for M/HD EV charging could lower distribution rates for Washington residents and businesses; under the 100 x 40 ZEV scenario, this could reduce average rates by 1.52% by 2050, saving households $48 and commercial customers $309 annually.
• The '100 x 40 ZEV + Clean Grid' scenario would reduce annual fleet greenhouse gas emissions by 83% compared to the baseline by 2050, with cumulative reductions totaling 85.3 million metric tons.

APA

Lowell, D., Saha, A., Freeman, M., MacNair, D., Seamonds, D., & Robo, E. (2021). Washington Clean Trucks Program An Analysis of the Impacts of Zero-Emission Medium- and Heavy-Duty Trucks on the Environment, Public Health, Industry, and the Economy. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2021-09/wa-clean-trucks-report_0.pdf

Chicago

Lowell, Dana, Amlan Saha, Miranda Freeman, Doug MacNair, David Seamonds, and Ellen Robo. Washington Clean Trucks Program An Analysis of the Impacts of Zero-Emission Medium- and Heavy-Duty Trucks on the Environment, Public Health, Industry, and the Economy. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2021. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2021-09/wa-clean-trucks-report_0.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lowell |first1=Dana |last2=Saha |first2=Amlan |last3=Freeman |first3=Miranda |last4=MacNair |first4=Doug |last5=Seamonds |first5=David |last6=Robo |first6=Ellen |title=Washington Clean Trucks Program An Analysis of the Impacts of Zero-Emission Medium- and Heavy-Duty Trucks on the Environment, Public Health, Industry, and the Economy |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=2021 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2021-09/wa-clean-trucks-report_0.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lowell2021washington, author = {Lowell, Dana and Saha, Amlan and Freeman, Miranda and MacNair, Doug and Seamonds, David and Robo, Ellen}, title = {{Washington Clean Trucks Program An Analysis of the Impacts of Zero-Emission Medium- and Heavy-Duty Trucks on the Environment, Public Health, Industry, and the Economy}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2021}, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2021-09/wa-clean-trucks-report_0.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }