CanaryMedia: "Diesel prices are rising worldwide. So are electric truck sales," by Ysabella Kempe. "Sales of medium- and heavy-duty electric trucks hit a high in the first half of 2026, mostly thanks to China." Diesel prices are helping maintain that momentum.
"The market for battery-powered trucks may be slowing in the US—but globally it’s a very different story." [You have to really, really squint to see the shamefully tiny portion of the bar graph that represents America].
"Worldwide, sales of medium- and heavy-duty electric trucks hit a record high in the first half of this year, according to research firm BloombergNEF." Nearly 160,000 e-trucks were sold in that time period, up by around 75% from the first half of 2025.
"A glance at the chart ...reveals that the momentum for electric trucks has been building for years." But spiking diesel prices brought on by the Iran war have only strengthened the case for the vehicles, which are cheaper to operate + maintain but cost more upfront than their fossil-fueled counterparts.
"China absolutely dominates the market for electric trucks, much as it does with other clean technologies." More than 9 out of 10 e-trucks sold worldwide in the first half of 2026 were in China, which BNEF says has strong policies supporting the shift + an extensive battery supply chain.
Other countries are getting in on the act, as about 1 in every 5 trucks sold in China may be electric, but those shares are even higher in Norway + Switzerland. As for the US, the country’s battery-electric truck market has come to a “near standstill,” BNEF says, “with policy + cost headwinds limiting uptake.”
"The second Trump administration has killed tax credits for zero-emissions vehicles, frozen grants for electric trucks + chargers, + worked with Congress to nullify California’s power to set its own emissions reduction standards for trucks + cars." There is hope however—especially after the recent election you may have heard about.
"California, for one, has committed billions of dollars in incentives to encourage truckers to go electric, + now has more zero-emissions heavy-duty trucks on the road than any other state." Plus, Tesla recently announced that it began mass production of its electric semitruck at a Nevada factory.
Any way you look at this optimistic picture, electric trucks are on an unstoppable roll.