Truckers not sold on electric vehicles

Despite efforts to push electric vehicles into the truck industry, truckers don’t seem to be buying into the idea.

A new survey says that more than 75% of truck drivers indicated they would never add an electric truck to their fleet.

According to the Commercial Truck Trader survey, 79% said they would never add an electric vehicle to their fleet. Only 13% said “maybe.” Only 5% said they will buy an electric truck right away, while 4% indicated they will within five years.

Reasons to adopt electric trucks varied. More than 40% of those surveyed said they would buy an electric vehicle to save money at the fuel pump. About one in five said they would purchase an electric truck since they produce lower emissions. Less than a third indicated they would acquire an electric vehicle because they require less overall engine maintenance.

There are plenty of reasons for truckers to not buy an electric truck.

Nearly 60% are worried about the low mileage range and battery life. Nearly half are concerned about the time it takes to charge a battery, and 45% see issues with finding a charging station. Only 11% of those surveyed found no drawbacks to electric trucks.

Some truckers are waiting for others to become early adopters of electric trucks before pulling the trigger themselves. About 30% of those surveyed would feel differently with testimonials from current electric truck owners. More than 20% said seeing other fleets with electric trucks would change their opinion.

Electric trucks may be coming sooner than many are comfortable with. On March 31, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency granted California’s two requests for waivers of preemption to install emission standards that are stricter than federal regulations. By doing so, California will require half of all new heavy-duty vehicles sales to be electric. Republicans in Congress have been working to stop those efforts. LL