National clean freight truck and bus standards

Clean truck standards help ensure that our nation's fleet of heavy-duty trucks and buses use dramatically less fuel, cut climate and other harmful pollution, and save both truckers and consumers money

EPA recently proposed new standards to set limits on climate pollution from heavy-duty vehicles. These new standards will apply to freight trucks, buses, and tractors, and will consider the crucial role that zero-emitting vehicles (ZEVs) can play in reducing pollution.

The standards are eminently feasible thanks to historic investments from the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, manufacturer commitments to levels of new ZEV deployment that exceed EPA’s projections, and ongoing adoption of California’s Advanced Clean Trucks rule by states.

A 2022 study for EDF by Roush Industries, from before the Inflation Reduction Act, had found that most market segments of electric trucks and buses will reach upfront cost parity with diesel vehicles by 2027. An updated study considering the impact of the IRA shows accelerated purchase parity of these vehicles. The study estimates that in many heavy-duty vehicle segments battery-electric trucks are likely to have a total cost of operation cheaper than their traditional counterparts by 2024.

EPA also recently adopted a separate rule setting clean truck standards focused on pollutants that form smog and soot for model years 2027 and beyond.

Transition to ZEV trucks and buses

According to an EDF analysis, national standards that achieve 100 percent new ZEV sales by 2040 would:

  • Avoid 224 million metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions every year by 2040 and eliminate tailpipe CO2 emissions from the heavy-duty fleet by 2050
  • Reduce ozone-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx) pollution by more than 450,000 tons and harmful particulate pollution by nearly 9,000 tons every year by 2040
  • Prevent as many as 2,600 premature deaths and 140,000 lost workdays each year by 2040 and as many as 57,000 premature deaths in total through 2050
  • Provide our nation with up to $485 billion in health and environmental benefits. 

Manufacturers and fleets are committed to ZEVs

Momentum for the transition to ZEVs is quickly building in the medium and heavy-duty sector. Manufacturers are committing to a zero-emission future and investing billions of dollars to bring ZEVs to market.

  • Ford expects 50% of its global vehicle volume and 100% of its European vehicle volume to be fully electric by 2030 – this will be reached by producing 2 million EVs annually.
  • Daimler announced a target that all new trucks and buses in North America will be carbon neutral by 2039 and has allocated $85 billion toward the goal.
  • Stellantis aims for 100% of sales in Europe and 50% in the U.S. to be entirely from battery-electric vehicles.
  • Volvo, owner of Mack Trucks, has said it aims to have 100% of its new truck and bus sales be fossil free by 2030.
  • General Motors, which announced plans to eliminate tailpipe pollution from its passenger cars by 2035, plans to sell ZEV versions of all HD trucks by 2035.
  • Navistar is investing $275 million in a San Antonio plant that will produce diesel and electric trucks, supporting 650 new jobs.
  • Honda has committed to being carbon neutral by 2050 through electrifying its vehicle fleet and 100% ZEV sales by 2040 in North America.

Shippers and trucking fleets across the country are also embracing ZEV trucks. EDF has created an Electric Fleet Deployment and Commitment List to track their deployments and commitments. A few examples include:

  • Walmart is targeting zero global operational emissions by 2040, including electrifying all long-haul trucks. It has ordered 5,000 BrightDrop electric vehicles.
  • FedEx has pledged a 100% electric pick-up and delivery fleet and carbon-neutral operations by 2040.
  • Amazon has ordered more than 100,000 electric delivery trucks from Rivian.
  • FedEx has reserved 2,000 GM BrightDrop cargo vans with plans to add up to 20,000 more.
  • Merchant Fleet expanded its order of BrightDrop electric vehicles to 18,000.

References

Resources

Comments

Analysis

Fact Sheets

  • October 2016: Broad Support Across America for Phase II Greenhouse Gas and Fuel Economy Standards for Freight Trucks and Buses [PDF] 
  • February 2022: Clean Trucks, Clean Air, American Jobs: Summary of health burden of dirty trucks, the health and economic benefits of transition to ZEV trucks, fleet and manufacturer commitments to ZEVs, current deployments, and states taking the lead.
  • February 2022: Electric Fleet Deployment and Commitment List: Fact Sheet. EDF generated Google sheet that will be updated periodically to reflect the latest medium- and heavy-duty fleet deployment and commitment numbers.

Studies

Press Releases

Blogs and Blog Posts

News Releases

  • August 2016: EDF Applauds Pollution Standards for Cleaner Freight Trucks 

Reports

Date updated: March 17, 2022

Sources
  1. This target is cost effective and has broad support from EDF and other key stakeholders.