Natural gas truck sales fell at slower rate than diesel during 2020

Retail sales of Class 8 natural gas trucks dropped just 9 percent in the first 11 months of last year in the U.S. and Canada, ACT Research reported Friday in its Alternative Fuels Quarterly (AFQ) report.

“Sales of natural gas-powered vehicles as reported by the six major truck OEMs, who account for approximately 60 percent of the heavy-duty natural gas market, were mixed in the September to November time period, with October experiencing both sequential and year-over-year gains, but the other two months faltering for both time period comparisons,” says Steve Tam, vice president, ACT Research. “As a result, sales continue to whittle away at the year-to-date deficit.”

Tam adds in the entire Class 8 market, sales were down 33 percent for the same period.

"Through the first 11 months of 2020, reporting OEMs have sold nearly 2,900 natural gas-powered Class 8 units," he says.

ACT also announced in its report the introduction of an upgraded, online total cost of ownership and operational calculator. The company says the calculator now includes the societal costs in metric tons of CO2 per year. 

The calculator is available here.

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