Heavy Duty Vehicle Manufacturers failing the EV transition challenge
The HDV sector is failing to electrify at anything close to the pace required
The HDV sector is failing to electrify at anything close to the pace required
The poor performance of leading HDV manufacturers risk putting wider climate goals at risk: Despite only making up 3% of vehicles on the road, HDVs contribute 30% of emissions from road transport and that percentage is expected to grow as electrification spreads across smaller vehicles.
The contrast in transition speed between HDV and passenger vehicles partly reflects structural differences between the two markets. The passenger car market is relatively fragmented, with new entrants like Tesla and BYD pushing electrification. The HGV market, by contrast, is highly consolidated, with 10 producers controlling over 70% of market share and fewer new entrants pushing electrification.
The market’s failure to transition at pace means that these companies are heavily exposed to commercial risks. Regulation in the UK, EU and US will impose increasingly tough targets beginning in 2030. On current trends, most HDV manufacturers will struggle to be compliant with these regulations and risk facing penalties.
Meanwhile, these companies are missing out on an enormous commercial opportunity presented by ‘re-fleeting’ – the replacement of the existing HDV fleet with battery electric alternatives – and risking stranded assets as their ICE production assets become obsolete.
Report author Ben Scott, said: “The transition to electric trucks offers manufacturers a ‘re-fleeting’ opportunity and a huge potential upside in revenues. In the near-term, short and medium-haul logistics represents the easiest prospect for electrification and for HDV manufacturers to capitalise on, as fleet-operator cost benefits are realised.
“However, for long haul logistics more work is needed to help deploy the necessary high-power electric vehicle charging infrastructure. To unlock the full financial potential from the re-fleeting of the existing ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) HDV fleet, manufacturers need to do more to facilitate the rollout of EV charging stations through investments, joint ventures, and partnerships.”
Once the embargo lifts the report can be downloaded here: https://carbontracker.org/reports/heavy-lifting-required-truckmakers-electric-transition/
For more information and to arrange interviews please contact:
Conor Quinn conor.quinn@greenhouse.agency
+44 7444 696 214
Joel Benjamin jbenjamin@carbontracker.org
+44 7429637423
NOTES TO EDITORS
The ‘Quality of Emissions Targets’ score is determined by an analysis of: