Class 8 natural gas truck retail sales in the U.S. and Canada increased 29 percent year-to-date for January and February compared with 2019, according to ACT Research’s Alternative Fuels Quarterly (AFQ).
“Sales of natural gas-powered vehicles as reported by the six major truck OEMs, which account for approximately 60 percent of the heavy-duty natural gas market, were mixed in the December 2019 through February 2020 time period,” says Steve Tam, ACT vice president. “For comparison, total U.S. Class 8 sales were down 23 percent for the same period.”
Tams says, the 2020 natural gas market previously was expected to decrease on a unit basis, but increase penetration because of a shrinking Class 8 market. “However, COVID-19 is wreaking havoc on both the economy and the commercial vehicle market, leading ACT to cut not only the total Class 8 forecast, but also the Class 8 natural gas unit sales, as well.”
AFQ provides insight, analysis and trends about alternative fuel/power adoption for the U.S. heavy- and medium-duty commercial vehicle markets.