PASADENA, Calif. — After a slower first half of 2025, zero-emission truck (ZET) deployment in the United States gained momentum in the second half of the year, with ZETs representing 4.14 percent of all truck deployments from July through December 2025, up from 1.32 percent in the first half of the year.
That is according to the June 2026 edition of CALSTART’s biannual Zeroing in on ZETs report issued this week.
“New state leaders advancing in the race to zero signal that the transition to cleaner technologies is not a geographically concentrated trend focused on a single vehicle segment, but rather a broader movement that reflects state policy in action,” CALSTART stated in a summation of the report via press release.
Normalized ZET score leaders changed from the last report, with California (3.11), New York (0.97), and Pennsylvania (0.97) now leading the nation in advancing adoptions. New York and Pennsylvania are comparable states, both in the Northeast, ranking in the top 10 for truck stock, and with similar economic aspects. Years of strong policy decisions, state funding programs like the New York Truck Voucher Incentive Program (funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority) and the Pennsylvania Freight Innovations in Transportation Grant Program (administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environment as part of the Driving PA Forward Initiative), workforce development, and infrastructure planning have helped both states emerge as leaders. Their performance on CALSTART’s normalized ZET score suggests that combined policy, economics, and awareness around ZETs can help identify where national adoption is advancing most rapidly and where additional support may be needed.
Other key findings in the report include:
By December 2025, cumulative ZET deployments reached 72,309 nationwide, with 12,996 deployments added in the second half of the year. This marks an increase from 52,787 at the end of 2024, meaning the market added 19,522 cumulative ZET deployments over the course of last year.
he second half of the year saw strong growth, almost doubling the 6,526 vehicles in the first half of the year, and a 31 percent year-over-year increase from the same timeframe in 2024.
California (12,874), Florida (6,179), and Texas (5,953) continued to lead the nation in cumulative ZET deployments, though Florida and Texas switched places.
This trend remains the same as previous report editions because the majority of ZET deployments are in states with large truck stock populations. These states saw the largest 6-month increases in ZET deployments; however, they were not the leaders in all of 2025 ZET deployments, with North Carolina (1,103) outpacing Texas (944) on the annual leaderboard.
While Florida and Texas lead in total ZET deployments, they rank outside the top performing states for normalized ZET score.
Twenty-two states now have more than 1,000 ZET deployments, up from 18 in the last market update. Colorado, Indiana, Oregon, and Tennessee each crossed 1,000 deployment entries. Illinois, Michigan, and Washington each surpassed 2,000 cumulative deployments.
Cargo vans are leading the charge and accounted for 12,158 new deployments in the second half of 2025, a sharp increase from 5,374 in the first half of the year.
While truck sales declined, CALSTART stated that zero-emission ones did not, due in part to a strong rebound from the cargo van segment. The rebound could be from fleets taking advantage of expiring tax credits, having greater certainty in their business operations, or more trust in the zero-emission cargo van technology.
Taken together, non-cargo-van segments contributed 838 new ZET deployments in the second half of 2025.
The total percentage of zero-emission yard tractors in operation is 3.21 percent, the most of any segment.
Awareness of proven operational performance, quick return on investment, and manageable infrastructure will allow the segment to continue to trend upwards.
“The market, even absent tax credits, has shown positive growth. The data points to a strong zero-emission future as operational cost advantages continue to accelerate over fossil fuels, capital costs continue declining, and operator acceptance trends in a positive direction. This report continues to play a vital role in mapping the trajectory and consequences of ZET adoption across the country,” said Jared Schnader, Executive Vice President of Initiatives in CALSTART’s Florida Regional Office.
Overall, CALSTART stated that 2025 data shows that the U.S. ZET market continues to grow and suggests that state leadership remains essential to furthering vehicle adoption. Policy and vehicle market readiness will continue to play major roles in carrying momentum.
As stated in the last market update, the next wave of adoption will depend on how states, infrastructure providers, fleets, and stakeholders collaborate to address common challenges such as upfront vehicle and infrastructure costs and the development of public and private charging networks (to see where public charging facilities are currently available for ZETs, view CALSTART’s National Medium- and Heavy-Duty Zero-Emission Infrastructure Map, led by the Zeroing in on ZETs report co- author Jacob Richard).
Looking ahead, financial support, infrastructure planning, stronger policies, and continued education will remain important in advancing the adoption of ZETs across the United States.
CALSTART’s June 2026 market update provides a snapshot of the current U.S. medium- and heavy-duty truck market as of December 2025; this report is designed to help policymakers, original equipment manufacturers, and fleet owners plan for a zero-emission transportation future.
In the report, U.S. medium- and heavy-duty trucks are classified as Class 2b (8,501–10,000 lbs.) through Class 8 (33,000 lbs. and above) vehicles categorized into 6 distinct segments: cargo vans, medium-duty step vans, medium-duty trucks, heavy-duty trucks, refuse trucks, and yard tractors.
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
