Zero emission truck deployments SURGED up 37% in 2025 as momentum builds
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- CALSTART reported that zero-emission trucks (ZETs) captured 4.14% of all new US commercial truck deployments in H2 2025, up sharply from 1.32% in H1 2025 and surpassing the prior peak of 3.13% set in H1 2023.
- US ZET deployments totaled 72,309 vehicles by the end of 2025, a 37% year-over-year increase from 52,787 at the close of 2024, with 12,996 of those additions occurring in H2 2025 alone.
- The US commercial truck market contracted sharply in H2 2025, with total sales falling to 314,067 units — a 35% year-over-year decline — making the ZET share gains more notable against a shrinking pie.
- CALSTART attributed expected continued momentum in 2026 to high fuel costs, oil shortages, new state and utility incentive programs, novel applications of US tax code, and growing acceptance among large logistics operators.
- The Tesla Semi is identified by CALSTART as the most significant new variable for 2026, arriving at a $290,000 price point with a 500-mile range.
- CALSTART flagged financial support, infrastructure planning, policy certainty, and education as the practical barriers that will determine how quickly the ZET market continues to expand.
Why it matters: Fleet operators gained a credible signal that battery-electric trucks are moving past early-adopter territory, with ZET share tripling from H1 to H2 2025 even as total truck sales collapsed 35%. The arrival of the Tesla Semi at $290,000 with a 500-mile range introduces a competitive price-pressure catalyst for 2026 that incumbent ZET manufacturers and fleet procurement teams must now plan around.
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