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Analysis of heavy-duty vehicle fuel efficiency technology uptake in California and Canada

This study analyzes policies that California, the United States, and Canada have enacted to promote reduced GHG emissions from heavy-duty trucks, how these policies have impacted technology deployment, and lessons that Canada can take as it evaluates policy options to accelerate the deployment of fuel- and GHG-reduction technologies in its trucking fleet. The analysis shows that California stands apart in three key policy areas: 1) regulation for trucking fleets that requires the use of tractor-trailer efficiency technologies, 2) regulations that will require the sales and purchase of zero-emission commercial trucks, and 3) incentive and financing programs to support the adoption of fuel-saving and electrification technologies. As a result of these policies, the analysis from this study suggests that trailers operating in California have higher adoption rates of aerodynamic devices. In addition, in the nascent zero-emission heavy-duty vehicle market, California represents 42% of zero-emission buses and trucks sold in the United States and Canada.