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Race to zero: how manufacturers are positioned for zero-emission commercial trucks and buses in China

In the past decade, China has rapidly become the world’s largest electric vehicle market, accounting for half of the world’s electric vehicle sales and more than 90% of the stock of electric buses and trucks combined. This accelerated growth is the result of targeted policy efforts at the national and local level that have used concrete initiatives and tools such as pilot programs, incentives, vehicle regulations, and high-level strategies. This paper identifies where Chinese manufacturers stand in the race to transition from internal combustion engine heavy-duty vehicles (ICE-HDVs) to electric vehicle technologies. It summarizes the current market for zero-emission trucks and buses and profiles several manufacturers producing these vehicles across different truck and bus segments. By describing this market landscape, the paper seeks to highlight the challenges that future policies must address to accelerate this transition.