Source: Transportation Topics

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The rollout of zero-emission commercial vehicles and the infrastructure to support it is proceeding with added urgency as clean air regulators in California have set aggressive targets to phase out the diesel engines that have powered the trucking industry for generations.

Against that backdrop, manufacturers and suppliers showcased their latest efforts to propel the nascent zero-emission truck market at the 2023 Advanced Clean Transportation Expo, being held May 1-4 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Truck makers continued to upgrade and expand their lineups of medium- and heavy-duty battery-electric trucks designed for applications such as shorthaul, drayage and local distribution.

The annual exhibition also featured a heavy focus on hydrogen fuel cell technology, which offers a pathway to extend the limited range of electric vehicles. Multiple truck makers displayed fuel cell electric Class 8 trucks on the show floor.

Other exhibitors highlighted renewable fuels for internal combustion engines, including hydrogen, renewable diesel and renewable natural gas.

“Despite diesel’s many benefits and despite its many efficiencies, we need a future comprised of alternatives — alternatives that offer us, our customers and society cleaner choices,” Daimler Truck North America CEO John O’Leary said in keynote remarks at the show. “Whether battery-electric, hydrogen fuel cell or hydrogen combustion, alternatives do exist.”

During the past year, government and private sector investments have put more and more zero- and low-emission commercial vehicles on the road, said Erik Neandross, CEO of clean technology consulting firm Gladstein, Neandross & Associates, which organizes ACT Expo.

Continue reading on Transportation Topics.