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The Biden administration has begun an analysis of the costs and operational barriers to charging medium- and heavy-duty electric trucks, Kevin Miller of the Joint Energy and Transportation Office said this week.
It’s already clear, however, that trucks powered by hydrogen fuel cells and electricity can play a role in reducing emissions in the industry, said Miller, the office’s senior adviser on business models.
“We have to focus on both the fuel and the core elements of the fleet to make it work,” Miller said.
During a session at the American Trucking Associations 2023 Conference & Management Expo, panelists credited the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act and the Inflation Reduction Act with providing funding to begin addressing low-emissions infrastructure.
But more federal money will be needed to build the nationwide charging and powering capabilities necessary for the technologies that will replace the diesel that powers most of the industry, said Katie Ellet, president of Air Liquide Hydrogen Energy & Mobility, North America.
“Honestly, it’s still not enough,” Ellett said. “It’s a lot of money, but it takes a lot of money to get where we need to go.”
Cooperation between regulators, manufacturers, trucking fleets, utilities and other stakeholders will be key to success in reducing the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions, panelists agreed.
They highlighted recent developments in starting the development of hydrogen fueling options, even as Aulbur The competitive cost of hydrogen must be reduced for the alternative fuel to achieve wider industry adoption.
Ellet noted Air Liquide’s agreement last month with Trillium Energy Solutions to explore the development of an extensive hydrogen retail network that allows hydrogen trucks to refuel Love’s Travel stops.
And seven regional clean hydrogen hubs will receive $7 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Act funding to accelerate the domestic market for low-cost, clean hydrogen, Miller noted.
Creating a national infrastructure to transport low-emission trucks will create opportunities to train workers for jobs as electricians and technicians for the new vehicles, Aulbur said.
“It’s a great opportunity to build a new economy,” he said.