UC DAVIS INSTITUTE OF TRANSPORTATION STUDIES
MOTIVATION & VALUE
Freight movement is on the cusp of major transformations in the U.S. and worldwide. Yet to achieve very low levels of CO2 as well as pollutant emission reduction goals, complementary solutions will be needed. The Sustainable Freight Research Program evaluates goods movement patterns, supply chain management strategies, intermodal dynamics, new vehicle technologies, and new fuel options, along with infrastructure requirements, environmental impacts, and policy. Starting from the premise that the freight system is the economy in motion, our research is at the intersection of transportation, supply chain management, technology and policy.
KEY RESEARCH QUESTIONS
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How can future technologies/fuels be adapted to be more suitable for use by logistics operators (trucking fleets, major retail operators, etc.), and assist them in cost-effectively reducing climate and other environmental impacts?
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How can supply chains be optimized to better accommodate the use of new truck technologies and energy sources (e.g., electricity, hydrogen), particularly in the context of the expected evolution of supply chains, such as omni-channel distribution?
2024
ZERO-EMISSION TRUCKS: BENEFITS ANALYSIS AND POLICY SYNERGY RECOMMENDATIONS:
Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs), including trucks and buses, account for an important and growing share of the direct carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from road transport globally. The benefits of truck electrification go far beyond reducing greenhouse gas emissions – reductions in diesel particulate matter and other types of air pollution have dramatic, positive impacts on health, particularly in communities closest to roadways, corridors, and shipping centers. Given the policy movement now occurring across the globe, the world is poised to enter a phase of rapid MHDV zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) market uptake. The conditions are in place for sales to grow rapidly and for costs to drop if national and sub-national governments follow through and address the challenges inherent in building these markets. It is the right time for countries around the world to adopt effective regulatory and incentive policies to promote ZEVs and start to grow these markets, so that the global stock of MHDVs can fully transition to ZEV by 2050 or earlier.
2024
This white paper summarizes recent efforts to incentivize and require the installation of charging infrastructure for battery electric medium and heavy-duty vehicles and identifies some key strategies for policy makers around the world. It reiterates recent findings such as by ICCT that regulatory actions, complemented by direct government funding for charging infrastructure, along with private sector incentives, are needed to rapidly ramp up this infrastructure to keep pace with the expected growth in battery electric trucks (BETs) and buses (BEBs) around the world, as covered in a companion document
(Zero-Emission Trucks: Benefits Analysis and Policy Synergy Recommendations).
CONTACT INFORMATION
KELLIE MCFARLAND
Program Manager, Energy Futures and Sustainable Freight
Program Manager, Policy Institute
Kellie is the new program manager of the Energy Futures and Sustainable Freight Programs. She has BS in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning from the University of California, Davis and MBA from the UC Davis Graduate School of Management.
Interested In Learning More Or Becoming A Sponsor Contact Kellie
