Natural gas truck sales jump, but infrastructure support sliding
The six major truck OEMs account for approximately 60% of the heavy-duty natural gas market.
The six major truck OEMs account for approximately 60% of the heavy-duty natural gas market.
Sales of natural gas Class 8 trucks for the first five months of the year climbed 11% over the same time period last year, according to ACT Research.
Sales of natural gas-powered vehicles as reported by the six major truck OEMs – who account for approximately 60% of the heavy-duty natural gas market – were mixed from March to May, with March dipping 3% year-over-year, April jumping 23% compared to last April, and May flat versus a year ago.
Tam noted his firm is seeing an overall increase in electric charging stations (both existing and planned), accompanied by a continuing decline of total natural gas stations, "particularly those planned for the future," he added. "That said, we still see articles about natural gas use in transportation, as well as discussions about hydrogen fuel cells and investments, but the overwhelming amount of trade-industry headlines continues to focus on electric commercial vehicle development.”
The investment in these 200 new vehicles consist mostly of concrete mixer trucks powered by low emission compressed natural gas (CNG) or renewable natural gas (RNG). These trucks will have a carbon footprint that is approximately 25% lower than the diesel trucks they are replacing. Over half of the vehicles are in Mexico, with the remaining half split between Southern California in the U.S. and Colombia.
