The National Zero-Emission Truck (ZET) Coalition, including some four dozen organizations representing the US’ major heavy truck makers, innovators, suppliers and key stakeholders, sent a letter to Congressional leadership calling on any stimulus or recovery legislative package to prioritize investments that benefit U.S. ZET production and competitiveness.

Critical new federal investments should include the creation of a five-year ZET point-of-sale incentive to encourage fleet acquisition of zero emission trucks, building the charging and refueling infrastructure needed to support fleet adoption and ensure the United States remains a global leader in the deployment of these advanced trucks, and prioritization of technological innovations that drive U.S. supply chain long-term competitiveness.

The ZET Coalition made a number of specific recommendations:

• Create a new $2 billion+, five-year incentive for ZET acquisition that accelerates the production and deployment of tens of thousands of zero-emission vehicles in US truck fleets within five years.

• Support stimulus investments that boost U.S. ZET manufacturing and deployment.

• Incentivize installation of infrastructure for ZETs through a combination of financial and tax incentives.

• Increase research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) for ZETs by an additional $250 million per year to drive innovation and manufacturing.

Taken together, federal action to advance these policies can help position the United States as a continued leader in the zero-emission truck industry, even in turbulent economic times. These investments will spur manufacturing production and support trucking industry jobs, will drive industry competitiveness, and will build the infrastructure of the future to support ZETs on roads all across America. They will also help the United States recover well from a historic economic downturn, seize the opportunity to address the climate threat, and prepare the U.S. freight system for the vehicles and technologies that will move American goods in the years to come.

—ZET Coalition letter to Congress