American Transportation Research Institute releases new report on zero-emission trucks

In Virginia, American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) released a new report that analyzes the environmental impacts of zero-emission trucks (ZET). This analysis, a 2021 top priority of ATRI’s Research Advisory Committee, utilized federal and industry-sourced data to identify and compare full life-cycle CO2 emissions for a range of truck types, including a baseline diesel truck, battery electric trucks and hydrogen fuel cell trucks.

The study found that while electric trucks have no direct tailpipe emissions, CO2 production associated with vehicle, battery and electricity production would only result in a 30 percent decrease in CO2 emissions when compared to a standard diesel truck.

The marginal environmental benefits of electric trucks are due, in large part, to lithium-ion battery production – which generates more than six times the carbon of diesel truck production. The research, which utilized outputs from the Argonne National Lab’s GREET Model, also incorporates CO2 emissions that generate from the U.S. electrical grid – which still relies primarily on fossil fuels. ATRI ‘s research concludes that hydrogen fuel cell trucks are ultimately the most environmentally friendly truck type, although the technology is not presently feasible for long-haul operations.