The Department of Energy and the Department of Transportation released a detailed charging infrastructure plan to support the wide-scale adoption of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles across the United States.
The plan includes four phases of implementation between 2024-2040 and will guide federal and state government and private-sector investments to develop charging infrastructure.
“Electric trucks are the future of the trucking industry,” says Jason Mathers, AVP for Environmental Defense Fund’s zero-emission trucks initiative. “Hundreds of fleets are operating these trucks today or have them on order. This plan prioritizes investments in charging infrastructure to match this path of growth. Today’s announcement meets this moment with a long-term plan that should give fleets the confidence to scale their electrification efforts and state policymakers a roadmap to support the zero-emission transition.”
Key takeaways:
- For the next several years, most new electric trucks will be in regional operations that return to a set facility each night. This plan focuses near-term investments in urban areas where these trucks are being operated today. The plan also includes a pathway to support longer haul vehicles as they become more common in the years ahead.
- This announcement comes on the heels of a $3 billion commitment from the Environmental Protection Agency to fund the transition to zero-emission freight trucks, marine vessels and port handling equipment and the infrastructure to fuel them at U.S. ports. It is among a series of major investments in zero-emission trucking from the Biden Administration.
