U.S. Market & Policy Update: Medium- and Heavy-Duty Electric Vehicles

All data are sourced from the Atlas EV Hub unless otherwise noted.

While the U.S. market for electric medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs) is still nascent, there has been rapid growth in the last few years in terms of overall sales, model availability, and supporting infrastructure. Additionally, state regulators and utilities are increasingly taking action to get ahead of widespread transportation electrification, in some cases specifically targeting the MHDV sector.

This data story summarizes changes in the electric MHDV market and policy landscape in the United States over the past several years. While there are no standard definitions for medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles, this analysis considers all vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) above 8,500 pounds (Classes 2B through 8).[1]

The United States has seen rapid growth in battery electric MDHV sales in recent years. There were only a few hundred electric MHDVs sold per year before 2021, and in 2024 alone there were over 120,000 sold. The vast majority of this overall growth is Class 2 B–3 vehicles, but Class 4 – 8 vehicle sales are also growing (see Figure 2).

Note that in recent years, more and more electric passenger trucks fall under Classes 2B-3 due to the increased weight of the battery pack, even though their performance characteristics are roughly the same as equivalent Class 2A internal combustion engine vehicles. While vans and buses are a smaller portion of the overall sales in this category, annual sales of vans and buses have still increased from zero to nearly 18,000 between 2020 and 2024.

About 10.8% of Class 2B-3 vehicle sales were electric in the first quarter of 2025, up from 0.1% in 2021. As mentioned above, much of this growth has come from the shift of passenger electric trucks into Class 2B-3. Only about 0.6% of Class 4-8 vehicle sales were electric in Q1 2025, but this is still a 6-fold increase from 2021. California has the highest electric market share in both Class categories (see Figure 3).

Out of all states, California also makes up the largest share of U.S. electric MHDV sales, at 24% of nationwide Class 2B-8 electric vehicles in 2024, but this portion has been decreasing over time as other states are catching up. Other leading states include Florida and Texas, which currently account for 9% and 8% of nationwide sales, respectively.

Looking to the future, individual fleet operators are also making commitments to expand their electric fleets. Since 2017, 268 U.S. fleet operators have ordered at least 198,000 electric MHDVs (Class 2B-8).

Additionally, many more MHDV models are also becoming available in the United States, which can support future growth. According to the Zero-Emission Technology Inventory, electric MHDV model availability has grown rapidly, from 24 to 161 models between 2019 and 2025.

Both governments and the private sector have recognized that rapid growth in charging infrastructure is necessary to support the emerging electric MHDV market. To that end, there has been approximately $14.5 billion in announced public and private investment in MHDV charging between 2016 and 2024,[2] including approximately $6.2 billion by private sector companies or utilities.

Private organizations have announced hundreds of millions of dollars for MHDV charging each year between 2018-2024. The average annual announced investment was about $880 million, and the most investment was announced in the year after Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. While there has been significant growth in recent years, U.S. companies and public agencies still need to significantly ramp up investment in MHDV charging to support full electrification according to Atlas analysis.

Most electric MHDVs operating today likely charge at centralized depots operated by privately owned fleets or private residences. According to an Atlas analysis of the Federal Highway Administration’s Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey, about 90% of all respondents report that their MHDVs have a home base to return to between uses (either a private residence or depot)[3], which are typically easier to electrify than vehicles that would need to rely on en-route charging. Going forward, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that about 520,000 depot ports will be needed to support its Phase 3 standards for heavy-duty vehicles.

While there is no comprehensive count of private charging sites, anecdotally, many fleet operators and charging providers have made announcements about charging depots across the country. For example:

• Watt EV and Forum Mobility have opened major new depots at the Port of Long Beach, and EV Edison has opened an MHDV fleet charging hub between Port Newark and New York City.
• One Energy has opened the largest semi-truck charging hub in the country in Findlay, Ohio.
• Individual companies like Pepsi and Amazon have also significantly built out their private charging locations.

While most fleet vehicles charge at centralized locations, significant investment is also needed for on-road public charging stations to support long-distance travel. According to CALSTART, there are at least 83 dedicated MHDV public or semi-public charging stations across 11 states in some stage of development (representing nearly 1,600 ports), with at least 18 already operating. Most of these public MHDV stations are in California. Additionally, many other existing public stations serve both MHDVs and light-duty vehicles. According to AFDC data, there are over 540 public charging stations around the country that are accessible for MHDVs, even though they are not solely dedicated to them.

Federal funding via the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) and Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) programs is supporting future growth in charging, including for MHDVs. According to the EV States Clearinghouse, 15 of the NEVI-funded public charging stations announced so far will be at least partially dedicated to MHDVs, and three of those stations are open in Colorado as part of the state’s MHDV electrification initiative.

According to regulatory commission filings, 21 investor-owned utilities (IOUs) in ten states have proposed approximately $1.9 billion for programs targeting MHDVs since 2018, including make-ready charging site investments, vehicle and charging incentives, distribution upgrades, and other efforts. These IOU programs alone are expected to support nearly 23,000 charging ports.

At least five states so far have passed or proposed laws to encourage or require utilities to streamline and support EV charging buildout, including via proactive grid planning, limits on energization timelines, allowances for make-ready costs, and/or hosting capacity maps. In 2020, fifteen states and DC signed on to a goal of 100% clean MHDV sales by 2050.

Load hosting capacity maps, which highlight available distribution grid capacity, are a key tool to speed up EV charger deployment. More and more utilities have been providing these to the public in the last several years – according to DOE, 26 utilities in 26 states, DC, and Puerto Rico have created load hosting capacity maps. These utilities collectively serve about 35 million customers, or approximately 22% of U.S. electricity customers.[4]

Regulators and utilities are increasing collaboration, including with EV and charging stakeholders, to support rapid EV deployment and minimize negative grid impacts.

• The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) EVs2Scale2030 initiative brings together utilities, fleet owners, OEMs, and charging companies to surface industry data and enable better utility energization processes and shorter timelines. As part of the initiative, EPRI created the GridFAST platform to connect businesses to utilities early in the charging development process.
• The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) Electric Vehicles State Working Group brings together state regulatory officials on EV regulatory topics. In addition to monthly convenings, the group maintains a robust set of informational resources, best practices, and case studies.
• GridLab, the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), and Advanced Energy United created the CHARGED Initiative to identify actions that utilities can take to enable widespread electrification. The inaugural CHARGED conference in 2024 convened utilities, technology companies, civil society, and regulators to identify an initial set of recommendations. A follow-up event is planned for this year.
• In 2023 and 2024, the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) convened the EV Charging Infrastructure National Conference to facilitate collaboration between state energy and transportation agencies. This collaboration is ongoing.
• The National EV Charging Initiative (NEVCI) to bring together utilities, EV companies, labor, advocacy, and others to support state-level action toward a national EV charging network. The initiative also does targeted work on MHDV charging and clean MHDV standards.

About six years ago, the U.S. electric MHDV market was nearly non-existent, with very few models available and low overall sales. Today, this segment is growing rapidly thanks to innovation in battery and vehicle technology and supporting federal, state, and private-sector actions. The United States is not alone; other countries are also looking to boost their electric MHDV markets. For example, many other countries have signed on to the global goal of 100% clean MHDV sales by 2040, and the European Union recently strengthened its GHG emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles. Sustained U.S. action at all levels can support the growth of this emerging industry and the competitiveness of domestic automakers.

[1] While MHDVs are defined here as those with a GVWR exceeding 8,500 pounds, boundaries between vehicle classes are often more complex. From a market perspective, segmentation is more often based on performance characteristics such as towing, hauling, and payload capacity, rather than strictly on GVWR. While GVWR is related to that performance, issues arise when comparing technologies with similar performance but very different curb weights, such as internal combustion engine trucks and battery electric trucks.

[2] This amount excludes federal support via the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit (often referred to as 30C), which provides up to a 30% credit for qualified investments in charging and clean fuel dispensing equipment. As of June 2025, substantive changes to the 30C credit are actively under consideration by Congress.

[3] While survey respondents report that their vehicles have a home base, the survey does not ask them to report whether to vehicles regularly return to the base during normal operations. Therefore, some of these vehicles would potentially also require en-route charging if electrified.

[4] Calculating using data from EIA’s Annual Electric Power Industry Report (Form 861)