Free · No login required # Electric Truck TCO Calculator Is a battery-electric tractor cheaper than diesel for your fleet? Compare the total cost of ownership of diesel, battery-electric and renewable diesel over the years you keep a truck, with sourced defaults for the U.S. average, California, Texas and New England. ## Your scenario Region Loads that region's diesel price, commercial electricity price, grid emissions and incentive status. Every figure stays editable. Holding period Financing 12% federal excise tax Applies to the first retail sale of a heavy tractor (26 U.S.C. § 4051), electric or diesel. The default prices exclude it. If your quote already includes it, switch to "Already in my prices". ## Usage Miles per year mi The default is the average for all U.S. combination trucks. Electric trucks are usually bought for routes with steady, high use: enter your own mileage. ## Truck Diesel tractor price $ Median price of a comparable model year 2025 day-cab diesel tractor, in 2022 dollars, before taxes and fees. Use your own quote. Electric tractor price $ Median transaction price of a model year 2025 electric Class 8 tractor, in 2022 dollars, before taxes and fees. Prices vary widely: use your own quote. Diesel resale value % What the truck is worth when you sell it, as a % of the price before tax. ICCT's value is for 5 years and about 600,000 miles. Electric resale value % ICCT's value for the truck without the battery. There is almost no used electric truck market yet: test a low and a high value. ## Incentive and charger Purchase incentive (electric) $ Amount you actually receive. Leave it at 0 if no program is open when you order. Depot charger, installed $ ICCT's cost of one 150 kW charger at a truck stop: $53,655 to buy and $137,250 to install. A depot may cost less, a utility upgrade more. Enter your own quote, or your truck's share if several trucks use one charger. The federal commercial clean vehicle credit (§ 45W) ended for vehicles acquired after September 30, 2025\. Incentives are now state and local: pick a region or enter what you expect to receive. ## Energy Diesel fuel economy mpg Electric consumption kWh/mi Diesel price $/gal EIA weekly retail price with all taxes. Diesel is unusually high right now: the U.S. average on November 2, 2026 was $2.54 above a year earlier. Totals keep this price flat for the whole period, so test a lower one. Renewable diesel premium over diesel $/gal Published for California only. Elsewhere, ask your fuel supplier. Depot electricity price $/kWh EIA average commercial price, which blends energy and demand charges across all commercial customers. A truck depot's bill depends on its peak demand: use your utility's rate. Public fast-charging price $/kWh Share charged in public % Share of the energy charged at public truck chargers rather than at your depot. There is no published U.S. truck-charging tariff, so enter a quote in the price field above. ## Running costs Diesel maintenance $/mi Electric maintenance $/mi Diesel insurance $/year Electric insurance $/year Diesel HVUT $/year Federal heavy vehicle use tax (Form 2290) per year for a vehicle over 75,000 lb. State registration is not included. Electric HVUT $/year The same tax applies to electric trucks: the Form 2290 instructions set it by weight, with no exemption for electric vehicles. Electric costs more over 5 years $264,128 No break-even within 5 years ## Total cost of ownership, 5 years Diesel$479,618$1.735/mi Battery-electric$743,746$2.691/mi Renewable diesel$479,618$1.735/mi ## CO₂e Diesel513 t CO₂e Battery-electric265 t CO₂e Renewable diesel149 t CO₂e Avoided by electric247 t$1,067 per metric ton avoided Avoided by renewable diesel364 t Diesel and renewable diesel use GLEC v3.2 well-to-wheel factors. Electricity uses EPA eGRID2023 generation emissions plus grid losses, without upstream fuel production, so it reads somewhat low. ## What would make electric win The value at which battery-electric costs the same as diesel, changing one input at a time. Depot electricity priceno break-evennow $0.145 Miles per year155,015 minow 55,276 mi Diesel price$13.077now $6.292 Electric tractor price, with tax$76,358now $460,544 Undiscounted totals, prices flat over the period. ## Cumulative cost per year Day one is the purchase with excise tax (minus any incentive, plus the charger); each year adds energy, maintenance, insurance and HVUT. The resale value comes back on the last day. DieselBattery-electricRenewable dieselYears of ownership ## Cost breakdown over 5 years | Cost item | Diesel | Battery-electric | Renewable diesel | | --------------------------------------------------- | -------- | ---------------- | ---------------- | | Truck (price and excise tax minus resale, or lease) | $132,825 | $316,624 | $132,825 | | Incentive | $0 | \-$0 | $0 | | Charger | $0 | $190,905 | $0 | | Energy | $244,927 | $105,179 | $244,927 | | Maintenance | $55,276 | $48,643 | $55,276 | | Insurance | $43,840 | $79,645 | $43,840 | | HVUT | $2,750 | $2,750 | $2,750 | | Total cost of ownership | $479,618 | $743,746 | $479,618 | | Per mile | $1.735 | $2.691 | $1.735 | ## Defaults and sources The defaults for U.S. average, each with its source and date. They are a starting point: your own quotes and contracts beat any average. | Input | Default | Source | | ------------------------------------ | ------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Miles per year | 55,276 mi | [FHWA Highway Statistics 2024, VM-1](https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2024/vm1.cfm) · 2024 | | Diesel tractor price | $172,500 | [ICCT (2025), Battery electric commercial vehicle pricing in the US](https://theicct.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/ID-422-%E2%80%93-BEV-pricing-commercial-vehicles%5Fworking-paper%5Ffinal.pdf) · Sep 2025 | | Electric tractor price | $411,200 | [ICCT (2025), Battery electric commercial vehicle pricing in the US](https://theicct.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/ID-422-%E2%80%93-BEV-pricing-commercial-vehicles%5Fworking-paper%5Ffinal.pdf) · Sep 2025 | | Diesel resale value | 35 % | [ICCT (2023), TCO of Class 8 long-haul trucks in the US](https://theicct.org/publication/tco-alt-powertrain-long-haul-trucks-us-apr23/) · Apr 2023 | | Electric resale value | 35 % | [ICCT (2023), TCO of Class 8 long-haul trucks in the US](https://theicct.org/publication/tco-alt-powertrain-long-haul-trucks-us-apr23/) · Apr 2023 | | Diesel lease | — | No reliable published figure: enter your own | | Electric lease | — | No reliable published figure: enter your own | | Purchase incentive (electric) | $0 | [IRS, Commercial Clean Vehicle Credit](https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/commercial-clean-vehicle-credit) · Nov 2026 | | Depot charger, installed | $190,905 | [ICCT (2023), TCO of Class 8 long-haul trucks in the US](https://theicct.org/publication/tco-alt-powertrain-long-haul-trucks-us-apr23/) · Apr 2023 | | Diesel fuel economy | 7.1 mpg | [FHWA Highway Statistics 2024, VM-1](https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2024/vm1.cfm) · 2024 | | Electric consumption | 2.63 kWh/mi | [ICCT (2023), TCO of Class 8 long-haul trucks in the US](https://theicct.org/publication/tco-alt-powertrain-long-haul-trucks-us-apr23/) · Apr 2023 | | Diesel price | $6.292/gal | [U.S. EIA, Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update](https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/) · Nov 2026 | | Renewable diesel premium over diesel | — | No reliable published figure: enter your own | | Depot electricity price | $0.145/kWh | [U.S. EIA, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A](https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm%5Ftable%5Fgrapher.php?t=epmt%5F5%5F6%5Fa) · Aug 2026 | | Public fast-charging price | — | No reliable published figure: enter your own | | Share charged in public | — | No reliable published figure: enter your own | | Diesel maintenance | $0.200/mi | [ICCT (2023), TCO of Class 8 long-haul trucks in the US](https://theicct.org/publication/tco-alt-powertrain-long-haul-trucks-us-apr23/) · Apr 2023 | | Electric maintenance | $0.176/mi | [ICCT (2023), TCO of Class 8 long-haul trucks in the US](https://theicct.org/publication/tco-alt-powertrain-long-haul-trucks-us-apr23/) · Apr 2023 | | Diesel insurance | $8,768/year | [ICCT (2023), TCO of Class 8 long-haul trucks in the US](https://theicct.org/publication/tco-alt-powertrain-long-haul-trucks-us-apr23/) · Apr 2023 | | Electric insurance | $15,929/year | [ICCT (2023), TCO of Class 8 long-haul trucks in the US](https://theicct.org/publication/tco-alt-powertrain-long-haul-trucks-us-apr23/) · Apr 2023 | | Diesel HVUT | $550/year | [IRS, Instructions for Form 2290](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i2290.pdf) · Jul 2026 | | Electric HVUT | $550/year | [IRS, Instructions for Form 2290](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i2290.pdf) · Jul 2026 | | CO₂e | — | [GLEC Framework v3.2](https://smart-freight-centre-media.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/GLEC%5FFRAMEWORK%5Fv3.2%5F21%5F10%5F25%5F1.pdf) · [EPA eGRID2023 summary tables](https://www.epa.gov/egrid/summary-data) | Fuel prices include taxes. The calculator does not discount future costs and keeps prices flat over the holding period. It leaves out tolls, which do not depend on the powertrain, and the cost of lost payload or charging time. ## Electric truck TCO: frequently asked questions ### What is the total cost of ownership (TCO) of a truck? TCO is everything a truck costs you over the years you keep it: the purchase price and federal excise tax minus the resale value (or the lease), energy, maintenance, insurance and HVUT, minus any incentive. Comparing TCO instead of purchase prices is what makes an electric truck comparable with diesel: it costs more to buy and less to run. ### When does an electric truck break even with diesel? When its lower running costs have paid back its higher purchase price. The break-even year depends mostly on miles per year and on the price of electricity versus diesel. The more miles, the sooner it comes; a truck that runs few miles may never break even within its holding period. ### What diesel price should I use? Use what you expect to pay over the years you keep the truck, after fuel-card discounts. The default is the latest EIA weekly price, and the calculator keeps it flat. Diesel was unusually high when these defaults were set, so run the numbers at a lower price too. The levers on this page show the diesel price at which electric and diesel cost the same. ### What electricity price should I use for an electric truck? Use your utility's commercial rate including demand charges, not the average. Charging several trucks at once sets a high peak, and in many tariffs that peak drives the bill. Charging at public truck stops usually costs more per kWh than a depot, so the charging mix can decide the outcome. ### Which incentives exist for electric trucks in the U.S.? The federal commercial clean vehicle credit (§ 45W) ended for vehicles acquired after September 30, 2025, so incentives now come from states and utilities, and they open and close with each budget. This calculator leaves the incentive at 0 and notes the status of the main program in each region. Check the official page before you order: most programs require you to apply before you buy. ### Do electric trucks pay federal excise tax and HVUT? Yes. The 12% federal excise tax applies to the first retail sale of a heavy tractor, and because it is a percentage, it costs more in dollars on a more expensive electric truck. The heavy vehicle use tax (Form 2290) is set by weight, up to $550 a year, with no exemption for electric vehicles. ### Is renewable diesel a cheaper way to cut CO₂ than an electric truck? Renewable diesel runs in most modern diesel trucks without changes, so there is no extra investment. It cuts well-to-wheel CO₂e by about 70% with the GLEC default factor for HVO. It is sold mainly on the West Coast, and DOE publishes retail prices for California only, so outside California you need a quote from your fuel supplier. ### What resale value should I assume for an electric truck? Nobody knows yet: there is hardly a used market for electric trucks, and battery health will drive their price. Run the calculator with a low and a high resale value. If electric only wins with an optimistic resale value, a lease that fixes the end value can take that risk off your balance sheet. ### How is the CO₂ saving calculated? Gallons of diesel or renewable diesel times the GLEC v3.2 well-to-wheel factor, and kWh times EPA eGRID2023 emissions for the regional grid, including grid losses. The electricity figure leaves out upstream fuel production, so the real saving is somewhat smaller. An electric truck is not zero: its emissions are in power generation. 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