Newly elected U.S. President Joe Biden announced a plan to transition the fleet of government vehicles to electric models to curb climate change and create clean energy automotive jobs. This move will reportedly catapult the U.S. electric truck market to huge growth in the short and long term, according to a new report from market research firm IDTechEx.

The U.S. electric truck market has lagged China and Europe in commercial deployments, as those countries have been moving in an electrified direction for a number of years. The move by the Biden Administration may help the electric truck market catch up quickly, IDTechEx said.

According to the U.S. General Services Administration, the U.S. government fleet consists of 650,000 vehicles with about 100,000 medium-duty and 40,000 heavy-duty trucks. The goal is to replace these trucks with American-made vehicles although the funding and timelines have not been determined.

IDTechEx said it is clear the Biden Administration sees EVs as both a strategy for reducing emissions as well as supporting the U.S. automotive sector.

Ramped up support

In addition to Biden’s EV pledge, California last year mandated that 75% of new class 4-8 ridged trucks and 55% of new tractor truck sales in the state be zero-emissions by 2035.

The expected uptick in demand for these trucks is being backed up by established OEMs that are already conducting pilots of heavy-duty electric trucks. IDTechEx said Biden’s support for EVs should result in efforts being ramped up to get significant numbers of zero-emission trucks on the road.

Learn more about IDTechEx’s findings with its “Electric Truck Markets 2021-2041” report.