Natural gas truck sales flat

by Truck News

COLUMBUS, Ind. – U.S. and Canadian natural gas Class 8 truck retail sales were flat year-to-date through August, according to ACT Research.

“Despite the uncertainty of environmental change on the horizon, and continuing low oil prices, the future of alternative fuels led by natural gas/renewable natural gas is positive. The challenges of alternative fuel availability and distribution will be overcome; time is the biggest unknown,” said Ken Vieth, senior partner/GM at ACT Research. “Based on industry news releases, natural gas vehicle purchases were dominated by refuse fleets through August year to date, followed by transit and school bus operators and then over-the-road applications.”

ACT Research has developed an enhanced alternative fuels calculator to allow fleets to measure the operating costs and payback of using trucks powered by alt-fuels, including electric, fuel cell, gasoline, propane, and natural gas. It’s free to use here.

“Electric vehicle technology continues to make strides as it slowly penetrates various medium-duty vehicle classifications with Class 8 on the docket,” said Vieth. “All viable commercial vehicle power alternatives must now be considered to accurately measure potential cost savings for fleets, government applications and others, while meeting overall current and future emissions targets. Going green is a real market variable, while diesel is the king today.”


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