A survey by a US truck website has found that more than three-quarters of US truck drivers indicated they would never add an electric truck to their fleet.
The survey conducted by Commercial Truck Trader, reveals that US truck operators do not appear to be eager to purchase electric trucks, with 79 per cent saying they would never add an electric vehicle to their fleet. Just 13 per cent of operators surveyed said “ that they would maybe add an electric truck, while just five per cent said they will buy an electric truck straight away, while 4 per cent indicated they will buy electric. within five years.
More than 40 per cent of those surveyed said they would buy an electric vehicle to save money at the fuel pump, while about 20 per cent said they would purchase an electric truck because they produce lower emissions. Around 30 per cent of those surveyed indicated they would buy an electric vehicle because they require less overall engine maintenance.
Close to 60 per cent said they were worried about the low range and battery life, while close to 50 ope cent were concerned about the time it takes to charge a battery.
Around 45 per cent said they could see issues with finding a charging station, while only 11 per cent of those surveyed found no drawbacks to electric trucks.
Some operators said they were waiting for others to become early adopters of electric trucks before pulling the trigger themselves. The survey showed that about 30 per cent of those surveyed would feel differently if there were testimonials from current electric truck owners, while more than 20 per cent said seeing other fleets with electric trucks would change their opinion.
While the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on 31 March, granted permission for California’s stringent future Advanced Clean Trucks rule, giving the state approval for two waivers of preemption to install emission standards that are stricter than federal regulations, which will mean California will require half of all new heavy-duty vehicles sales to be electric by 2035, so for many operators electric trucks may come sooner than many are currently comfortable with. two requests for waivers.
Under the California plan manufacturers who certify Class 2b-8 chassis or complete vehicles with combustion engines will be required to sell zero-emission trucks as an increasing percentage of their annual California sales from 2024 to 2035. By 2035, zero-emission truck/chassis sales will have to account for 55 per cent of light duty Class 2b-3 truck sales, 75 per cent of medium- heavy Class 4-8 trucks, and 40 per cent of heavy prime mover sales.
Although California is the only state allowed to receive a waiver of preemption, other states can potentially follow suit. From last week (11 April), six states have also adopted California’s Advanced Clean Trucks rule, including Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.
At the US federal level, the EPA implemented a final rule on 27 March that deals with heavy-duty truck emission standards, which increases the current standards by 80 per cent. The program will begin with model year 2027, which is the earliest year the new standards can be applied.
Congressman. Troy Nehls,, a Texas Republican submitted a joint resolution in opposition of the EPA’s final rule, while in February, Republican Senator. Deb Fischer, from Nebraska introduced a similar measure in the Senate, while the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association also has spoken out against the EPA rule.
“If small-business truck operators can’t afford the new, compliant trucks, they’re going to stay with older, less-efficient trucks or leave the industry entirely, once again, the EPA has largely ignored the warnings and concerns raised by truckers in this latest rule,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer said.
