China deals with fuel prices head-on with electric big rigs — why can't the U.S. do the same?

E-trucks are on track to account for about a third of the heavy trucks sold in China in 2026, the publication reported. And according to BloombergNEF, more than nine out of 10 electric trucks sold globally in the first half of 2026 were in China – driven by strong policies and a wide battery supply network.

The opposite is the case for truckers living in the U.S. The same BloombergNEF report found that “The US battery-electric truck market has slowed to a near standstill, with policy and cost headwinds limiting uptake,” American truckers are still heavily dependent on diesel fuel, as the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) pegged the price per gallon of U.S. on-highway diesel at $6.19 on October 5, up by $2.48 from just a year ago.

Why China’s truckers won’t go back to diesel

The financial advantages of owning an electric rig in China show why some truckers won’t go back to diesel. One driver in Yulin, Li Bao, told Bloomberg News that his truck costs about 200 yuan to recharge, or roughly $30, and less than a third of what he used to spend filling up on diesel.

Although an electric rig costs about 600,000 yuan upfront, compared with 400,000 yuan for a similar-size diesel model, one operator said he expects to earn back the difference in two years.

China has also built the infrastructure for it. Beyond the numerous fast chargers available to truckers, battery-swapping stations exchange a drained pack for a full one in minutes.

According to BloombergNEF, Chinese e-truck sales climbed by nearly 80% in the first of 2026, with electric models making up almost a third of heavy truck sales.

What really has America stuck on diesel

BloombergNEF data shows that just 274 clean energy haulers were sold in the U.S. in the first half of 2026, a number that is dwarfed by the roughly 144,000 sold in China during the same period.

“For China, the conversion from internal combustion engines to electric trucks has been phenomenal,” Piak Hwee Tan, vice president of international key accounts for Fujian SuperPanther Power Technology, a domestic manufacturer of e-trucks, told Bloomberg News.

So, if China can make these advancements in clean energy alternatives for trucking, why can’t the U.S. do the same?

Instead of extending support, the American government has pulled back by pausing charging station funding, ending tax credits for zero-emission vehicles, and softening clean-truck rules meant to lower emissions and spur adoption of clean-energy alternatives.

As a report by EVwire on the electric truck race across China, Europe, and the U.S. put it, “the U.S. is the only one of the three going backwards, and the ICCT puts the slide on the standards and credits pulled in 2025 and 2026.”

As a result, battery-electric models make up only a sliver of heavy truck sales in the U.S. as China extends its lead. Chinese battery maker CATL, the world’s largest producer of EV cells, and BYD, the country’s biggest electric-vehicle manufacturer, are scaling output that American rivals cannot yet match. Without the battery-charging and swapping infrastructure electric rigs need to run smoothly, adoption remains difficult in the U.S.

What the U.S. government is doing about elevated diesel costs

American truckers are largely left to deal with surging diesel prices, driven by global crises like the U.S. war with Iran, Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, and Russia’s ban on diesel exports. California drivers have been hit hardest, with pump prices above $8 a gallon, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Speaking on the rising costs of diesel, Alaska ​Sen. Dan Sullivan on Sept. 22 said, “The cost of diesel is just too damn high. I’m calling for a temporary pause of American diesel exports so that we can rebuild our reserves ahead of winter and put American and Alaskan families first,” Reuters reported.