Ignored Challenges: Sourcing, Reliability, and Cost
The trucking industry can handle difficulties, but we cannot address obstacles that lawmakers overlook.
Currently, a clean diesel truck can refuel in just 15 minutes anywhere in the U.S. and travel approximately 1,200 miles before needing to refuel. In contrast, modern long-haul battery-electric trucks have a range of only 150-330 miles and may require up to 10 hours to charge.
A new clean-diesel long-haul tractor typically costs between $180,000 and $200,000, whereas a comparable battery-electric tractor exceeds $480,000. This additional $300,000 cost is unaffordable for most motor carriers. Over 95% of trucking companies are small businesses operating ten trucks or fewer.
Meeting these regulatory requirements could drive many carriers out of business and tighten capacity across the nation, leading to significant price increases for all goods.
Another important consideration is weight. Battery-electric trucks, powered by two approximately 8,000-pound lithium iron batteries, are substantially heavier than their clean diesel counterparts. Given the strict federal weight limits on trucks, mandating battery-electric vehicles would reduce the payload capacity of each truck, increasing the number of trucks required on the road and exacerbating both traffic congestion and emissions.
Additionally, sourcing the rare minerals necessary for lithium iron batteries poses a significant challenge. To produce these batteries, tens of millions of tons of cobalt, graphite, lithium, and nickel are required, a process that could take up to 35 years based on current global production rates. Expanding this capacity has a substantial environmental impact and may rely on foreign child labor from countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo unless the U.S. chooses to enhance domestic mining operations.
