The Biden administration unveiled a first-of-a-kind road map Tuesday for building electric charging and hydrogen fueling infrastructure for freight trucks by 2040, accelerating its push to decarbonize a major source of transportation greenhouse gas emissions.
The plan, which was developed by the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation and the Department of Energy in collaboration with EPA, is intended to guide public spending and “amplify” private investments to ensure that roads used by heavy and medium trucks have an ample supply of zero-emission fuel. As part of the strategy, the Federal Highway Administration announced national EV freight corridors Tuesday to help pinpoint optimal locations for hydrogen and electric fueling stations.
“These new [corridor] designations and Strategy will help to grow our national EV charging network, encourage clean commerce within the freight community, and support President [Joe] Biden’s goals of achieving net-zero emissions for the nation by 2050,” said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt in a statement.
The administration said it would help accelerate the build-out of fueling infrastructure in four phases, including establishing fueling and charging “hubs” in major metropolitan areas based on truck freight volumes by 2027.