Ambitious clean air targets for public health protection and net zero goal for climate change mitigation require clean and low carbon pathways for the transportation sector and rapid acceleration of zero emissions trajectory. This transition needs to encompass all vehicle segments with a special focus on the heavy duty trucking segment.

Mounting evidence on the relative contribution of different vehicle segments to the overall pollution load from transportation in cities and regions show that the heavy duty trucks powered by internal combustion engines (ICE) and fueled by diesel, are gross emitters of toxic local air pollutants including particulate matter and nitrogen oxides, major energy guzzlers and a major emitter of heat trapping greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.