Abstract
Medium-duty trucks in the Class 2b-3 range are a critical and overlooked segment in California’s vehicle market. These trucks—used as work vehicles, delivery vans, and large personal-use pickups—are disproportionately owned and used in rural and lower-income communities. While they make up a relatively small share of the overall truck fleet in California, they contribute disproportionately to fuel use and emissions due to their high annual mileage and low fuel efficiency. Electrification of these vehicles has lagged far behind both passenger cars and heavier commercial trucks. According to the California Air Resources Board’s EMFAC model, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) account for just 1.5% of Class 2b and 0.2% of Class 3 vehicles in California, compared to 6.9% of passenger vehicles. This gap reflects both technical barriers (e.g., range, payload, or towing capacity) and policy gaps, since many incentive and regulatory programs focus on fleet-owned, heavier Class 4-8 trucks or exclude consumer-owned pickups altogether. Additionally, Class 2b-3 vehicles, often classified differently in household vs. commercial datasets, has made it difficult to understand who owns them, how they’re used, or where the best opportunities for electrification lie. To better understand ownership, usage, and barriers to electrification, this project combined household survey data, fleet data, and interviews with vehicle owners. This research highlights the dual-use nature of these vehicles—often serving both work and household needs—and reveals the equity risks of leaving this segment behind in California’s clean transportation transition.
