New Report Calls for Doubling Federal Funding and Updating Classification System for Heavy-Duty Trucks
WASHINGTON—Medium and heavy-duty trucks (MHDTs) account for 30 percent of the transportation sector’s carbon emissions, despite accounting for only 5 percent of the vehicles on the road. Yet, while research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) for passenger vehicles has improved, the relative amount of federal RD&D devoted to decarbonizing trucks is insufficient, according to a new report from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), the leading think tank for science and technology policy. ITIF concludes shifting focus to MDHTs is vital for reaching net-zero emissions.
“Investments for decarbonizing heavy-duty trucks are disproportionately low relative to their greenhouse gas emissions,” said ITIF Senior Policy Analyst Hoyu Chong, author of the report. “Passenger vehicles face major obstacles in meeting customer’s needs in range and cost, but trucks present an opportunity that could create technological spillover effects impacting the entire transportation sector.”
The report examines the emissions reduction opportunities trucks can provide, in addition to analyzing the hurdles currently present that slow adoption. The ultimate goal is to achieve price-performance parity, where current technologies match the price and performance of newer technologies.
For example, compared to other vehicles, medium and heavy-duty trucks have had minimal fuel efficiency gains. Over 98 percent of heavy-duty trucks run on diesel, yet Chong argues synthetic diesel and biodiesels are only temporary solutions. MHDTs also face electrification challenges due to the energy density and the weight of batteries.
In addition to reducing the cost to be on par or below diesel, other hurdles mentioned in the report include maintenance costs, interoperability issues, and refueling infrastructure challenges.
The report identifies emerging low-carbon energy sources and powertrains—the mechanical components that make the vehicle move—as options for improving the capabilities and performance of heavy-duty trucks. But drastic change will only begin when the proper funding and research into MHDTs takes place.
Figure 1: Medium and heavy-duty fleet shares versus emissions shares
Chong notes that the Department of Energy (DOE) did not start focusing on zero-emission trucks until 2021. Therefore, the report recommends an additional $150 million heavy-duty trucking RD&D program at DOE to better focus on battery-electric performance, fuel cell and hydrogen options, and powertrain use cases. The second recommendation is for DOE and the Department of Transportation to develop a common vehicle classification system with metrics for evaluating emissions and energy use efficiency.
“There must be a drastic shift in R&D funding for MHDTs to close the implementation gap,” said Chong. “Only then will emission goals be met and price-performance parity be achieved.”
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The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan research and educational institute focusing on the intersection of technological innovation and public policy. Recognized by its peers in the think tank community as the global center of excellence for science and technology policy, ITIF’s mission is to formulate and promote policy solutions that accelerate innovation and boost productivity to spur growth, opportunity, and progress.
