Phase 1 of the plan would establish hubs that would eventually be connected as the network grows.
The Biden administration Tuesday released its plan to establish a charging and refueling infrastructure network for zero-emission commercial trucks, an initiative that seeks to maximize the impact of charging infrastructure investment by guiding development toward high-volume-priority corridors and existing freight hubs.
The National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy, developed by the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in collaboration with the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was drafted to meet growing market demands by targeting public investment to amplify private sector momentum, focus utility and regulatory energy planning, align industry activity and improve air quality in local communities heavily impacted by diesel emissions.
[Related: Daimler Truck, Volvo Trucks and Navistar ink battery truck 'PACT']
The strategy is based on a focused buildout around freight and trucking return-to-base depot infrastructure, regional hub-to-hub corridors and national network nodes. Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt noted that medium- and heavy-duty trucks in the current freight network contribute approximately 23% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. transportation sector.
Commercial trucks represent roughly 10% of all vehicles on the road, yet 75% of heavy truck traffic travel on just 4% of our nation’s roads, said President Biden’s National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi, adding "investments in zero-emission infrastructure on those high-traffic roads and the hubs they connect will rapidly transform freight transport..."
