A new report from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) examines the environmental effects of zero-emission trucks (ZET).
This study, which was a top priority for ATRI’s Research Advisory Committee in 2021, used data from the federal government and industry to identify and compare full life-cycle CO2 emissions for a variety of truck types, including a baseline diesel truck, battery electric trucks, and hydrogen fuel cell trucks.
While electric trucks have no direct tailpipe emissions, the study found that CO2 emissions associated with vehicle, battery, and electricity production would only reduce CO2 emissions by 30% when compared to a standard diesel truck.
The marginal environmental benefits of electric trucks are largely due to lithium-ion battery production, which emits more than six times the amount of carbon as diesel truck production. The study, which used data from the Argonne National Lab’s GREET Model, also takes into account CO2 emissions generated by the US electrical grid, which is still primarily powered by fossil fuels. According to ATRI’s research, hydrogen fuel cell trucks are the most environmentally friendly truck type in the long run, though the technology is not yet feasible for long-haul operations.
The report concludes by recommending additional CO2 truck emission reduction strategies for all three energy sources – diesel, electricity, and hydrogen. Renewable diesel, for example, could reduce CO2 emissions by 32.7 percent compared to a conventional diesel engine without requiring new infrastructure or truck equipment. Finally, hydrogen derived from solar energy could allow hydrogen fuel cell trucks to emit only 8.8% of the CO2 produced by diesel trucks.
