Clean Hydrogen: Outlook for Freight Transport in the United States

The document examines clean hydrogen as a complementary solution to electrification for decarbonizing US freight transport. While facing hurdles in cost, infrastructure, and storage, hydrogen is positioned as a leading solution for long-haul and heavy-duty transport by mid-century. The paper details specific applications across road, maritime, air, and rail sectors, while emphasizing that climate benefits depend on the use of low- and zero-carbon production feedstocks.

• Clean hydrogen and its derivatives are identified as leading decarbonization solutions for long-haul road, maritime, air, and long-distance rail freight by 2050, serving as a complement to electrification and other clean fuels.
• The climate benefits of hydrogen in freight transport are highly dependent on the production route and end-use conditions; to be effective, production must utilize low- and zero-carbon feedstocks and processes.
• Significant barriers to the adoption of hydrogen in freight include high costs, the need for delivery infrastructure, and technical storage challenges caused by hydrogen's low boiling point and small molecular size.
• The US government is supporting clean hydrogen through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which provides US$9.5 billion for production and infrastructure, and the Inflation Reduction Act's production tax credits.
• Different freight segments have distinct hydrogen applications: long-haul heavy-duty trucking benefits from fast refueling; maritime freight may transition to hydrogen or ammonia by mid-century; air freight sees hydrogen as a mid-century role following near-term sustainable aviation fuels; and rail freight can use hydrogen for locomotive backup power and yard switching.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Clean Hydrogen: Outlook for Freight Transport in the United States. https://www.wri.org/research/clean-hydrogen-outlook-freight-transport-united-states

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Clean Hydrogen: Outlook for Freight Transport in the United States. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/clean-hydrogen-outlook-freight-transport-united-states.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Clean Hydrogen: Outlook for Freight Transport in the United States |url=https://www.wri.org/research/clean-hydrogen-outlook-freight-transport-united-states |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendclean, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Clean Hydrogen: Outlook for Freight Transport in the United States}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/clean-hydrogen-outlook-freight-transport-united-states}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }