Exploring Hydrogen's Role in Heavy-Duty Trucking
This report shares an overview of hydrogen truck technology, compares it to diesel and electric batter trucks, and discusses its policy landscape in the United States.
1. Introduction
Clean hydrogen (H2) fuel can play a role in decarbonizing the heavy-duty transportation sector. Transportation is the biggest source of anthropogenic CO2 emissions within the United States, and medium- and heavy-duty vehicles make up 23 percent of transportation emissions. The heavy-duty transportation sector is defined as commercial vehicles with gross vehicle weight ratings more than 26,001 pounds and generally includes drayage trucks, short and regional day cabs, and long-haul Class 8 trucks. This sector is particularly difficult to decarbonize, as these trucks often require long ranges and carry heavy payloads. This report provides an overview of H2 truck technology, its current status in the United States, comparisons to diesel and battery electric trucks, challenges to deployment, and policy issues.
