Record high diesel fuel prices are creating some painful sticker shock moments at the pump for truck lines and shippers. Yet, those rising costs aren’t necessarily driving a dramatic uptick in adoption of alternative-fueled vehicles in the Class 8 heavy-truck sector.
As demand certainly remains steady, at least one analyst estimate forecasts that manufacturers are currently sitting on an order book of some 140,000 units for commercial battery-electric trucks alone. Furthermore, ACT Research reported in April that sales of heavy-duty Class 8 natural gas trucks — as reported by the six major truck manufacturers who account for some 60% of the market — climbed 21% year to date for the first two months of 2022 compared to the same period last year.