A perspective on emerging policy and economics research priorities for enabling low-carbon trucking

Abstract

Trucking plays a crucial role in sustaining economic activity worldwide, yet its current path of carbon emissions is out of sync with the net-zero goals set by governments globally. As a result, identifying key energy economic and policy research priorities for low-carbon trucking has become increasingly important. In this perspective, we tackle this need with a four-part approach: (i) identifying pressing issues highlighted in the news media; (ii) formulating feasible and novel economic and policy research challenges that address these contemporary concerns; (iii) cross-referencing these research challenges with academic literature to confirm their relevance and refining them as needed; and (iv) prioritizing the identified research challenges through consultations with a diverse group of transport experts specializing in fuels, policy, technology, and infrastructure. Our findings reveal seven key themes, each with its own set of research challenges. Among these, the expert prioritized policy and economic research challenges include — (i) high-power charging and battery swapping for battery electric trucks, focusing on market preferences, standardization (chargers vs. batteries), national strategies, and business models; (ii) optimal allocation of government subsidies between deployment of zero tailpipe emission trucks, including battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks, versus refueling/recharging infrastructure deployment; and (iii) a comparative cost-benefit analysis of the EU's tailpipe versus lifecycle carbon emissions regulations for new trucks. These priorities can guide both industry and academic research toward generating practical recommendations for industry stakeholders and policymakers.