China has set its first nationwide targets for electrifying heavy trucks, aiming for 1.6 million new energy heavy trucks on the road by 2030. These vehicles would make up 40 percent of new heavy truck sales and 20 percent of the total fleet. Heavy trucks account for only 3 percent of vehicles but produce half of all road transport carbon emissions, making this shift critical for meeting peak carbon goals. The plan includes building a 30,000-kilometer zero-carbon highway network with about 3,000 dedicated charging and battery swap stations for heavy trucks. Regions like Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei must electrify over 80 percent of fixed-route short-distance shuttles. Sales data shows momentum: new energy heavy truck sales hit 337,000 units from January 2025 to May 2026, with May sales surging 104 percent year-on-year. Cost savings are a key driver. Electric heavy trucks cut annual operating costs by 150,000 to 250,000 yuan per vehicle compared to diesel. Battery giant CATL is partnering with Shanxi province on a battery-swap hub. Analysts project market penetration could reach 80 to 90 percent by 2035 as battery tech and hydrogen production scale up.
