For the first five months of 2022, U.S. and Canadian Class 8 natural gas truck retail sales rose 11 percent year-to-date against comparisons of the same time period in 2021, as published in the quarterly report (AFQ: Alternative Fuels Quarterly) recently released by ACT Research.

“Sales of NG-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 March to May time period, with March dipping 3 percent year-over-year, April surging 23 percent compared to last April, and May flat versus a year ago,” said Steve Tam, Vice President at ACT Research. He continued, “In the near term, after a near doubling from February to March (+96 percent), April and May dribbled lower, -16 percent and -1 percent, respectively. Combined, sales in the three-month period extended, but decreased the year-to-date gain, with the first five months of the year outpacing the same period in 2021 by 11 percent.”

Tam added, “Besides sales, the Alternative Fuels Quarterly analyzes the change in existing and planned alternative fuel/power infrastructure and equipment developments. We’re seeing an overall increase in electric charging stations, both existing and planned, but a continuing decline of total natural gas stations, particularly those planned for the future. That said, we still see articles about natural gas use in transportation, as well as discussions about hydrogen fuel cells and investments, but the overwhelming amount of trade-industry headlines continues to focus on electric commercial vehicle development.”