Global sales of medium- and heavy-duty electric trucks reached a record 158,000 vehicles in the first half of 2026, up 75% from the same period a year earlier, according to BloombergNEF. Practically all of the vehicles sold were battery-electric.
Global Electric Truck Sales Reach 158,000 in H1 2026
Sales grew 75% year on year, expanding the sector’s implications for battery demand, electricity, freight costs and fleet financing.
Neutral rows reflect missing market-level year-on-year changes; Norway and Switzerland report sales shares even higher than China.
China accounted for more than nine out of 10 electric trucks sold globally during the period. Strong policy support and an extensive battery supply chain helped electric trucks reach about 20% of total truck sales in the country. Norway and Switzerland recorded even higher sales shares.
Electric trucks represented 5.5% of total European truck sales in the first half of 2026. Sales shares exceeded 10% in Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden as manufacturers introduced new models and vehicle prices began to decline.
The US battery-electric truck market, by contrast, slowed to a near standstill amid policy and cost headwinds. Industry participants interviewed by BloombergNEF indicated that Tesla’s Semi is priced between $250,000 and $300,000 per vehicle. BloombergNEF calculated that this could allow the truck to undercut the total cost of ownership of comparable diesel models in some duty cycles, depending on charging costs.
High-power charging infrastructure remains a requirement for long-haul electric trucking. Operators continue to deploy stations in Europe, China and the US despite costs and grid-connection constraints. In Europe, stations are being developed along freight routes and near existing logistics infrastructure, supported by deployment targets under the European Union’s Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation. Coverage nevertheless remains uneven.
BloombergNEF estimated that charging operators would need to add about $0.10 to $0.22 per kilowatt-hour above electricity costs to recover investments in megawatt-scale stations. The economics improve with higher utilization, but current usage varies widely.
Financing models are also evolving. Transactions are increasingly underwritten against contracted transport operations rather than truck resale values alone, helping address uncertainty over battery degradation and residual values. These structures depend on relatively long-term freight contracts and, where applicable, the value of emissions reductions.
Source: about.bnef.com
