The Biden-Harris Administration’s U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization calls for greater convenience, efficiency and faster transition to clean energy, and serves as a ‘call to action’ by building on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.

Hydrogen features prominently in the section on decarbonising medium and heavy duty vehicles. “Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles can complement battery EVs for applications requiring longer ranges and faster refuelling times, like long-haul trucking,” the report states. “A robust domestic supply chain for batteries, charging infrastructure, hydrogen, and sustainable fuels will be critical to support the transition to zero-emission vehicles and fuels.”

Before 2030, it calls for more investment in research and innovation to further develop and demonstrate clean technologies (e.g, achieve battery, hydrogen electrolysis, and sustainable fuel cost targets) and enable seamless integration with energy systems.

Between 2030-40, the US should ensure infrastructure needed to support clean technologies is in place (e.g., EV charging, clean hydrogen and sustainable fuel refuelling) and is fully integrated in the energy systems, and in the following decade, there should be full integration with clean transportation and clean energy systems to ensure reliable operations of mobility, freight, and energy supply and delivery networks.

In the aviation section, it notes battery electrification and hydrogen fuel are also potential options for replacing petroleum-based aviation fuels and can play an important role in the coming decades by decarbonising short-distance flights and dedicated regional cargo routes.

However, they are not expected to provide a solution by 2050 for the medium- and long-haul flights that generate most of the aviation sector’s carbon emissions, it adds.

The transport sector accounts for a third of all domestic greenhouse gas emissions, negatively affecting the health and well-being of millions of Americans, particularly those in disadvantaged communities, with transport costs accounting for the second largest annual household expense.

The blueprint is the first comprehensive, whole-government approach to decarbonising the transport sector, and aims to align decision-making among agencies and identify new opportunities for collaboration.