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Medium-duty commercial battery-electric vehicles are a viable alternative to diesel and gasoline-powered Classes 3-6 trucks in urban settings where the freight haul is less than 100 miles, according to a new guidance report from the North American Council for Freight Efficiency.

HANOVER, Germany — DAF Trucks exhibited two full battery-electric tractors and one hybrid model at the IAA Commercial Vehicles show, illustrating how electric-vehicle technology could be adapted to different trucking applications.

It’s time to start discussing electric trucks in light of the reality that they only handle part of the energy required for propulsion, leaving important aspects of energy production to external power sources.

Electric vehicle charging continues to surge, a move that will only hasten the adoption of electric cars and other vehicles such as commercial trucks. ChargePoint, which manages a network of EV charging locations worldwide, has pledged to build out 2½ million public charging ports by 2025, with roughly half of those in North America and half in Europe.

Transforming the European Union’s truck fleet to electric and hydrogen vehicles from diesel-powered engines could cut oil use by as much as 11 billion barrels through 2050, or more than two years’ worth of imports.

The opportunity for easy overnight recharging may be one of the surest routes toward a wider adoption of electric vehicles in the United States.

The next battleground for replacing fossil fuel-guzzling vehicles will be U.S. interstate highways, where longhaul trucks keep the economy moving.

BYD America and Penske Truck Leasing separately announced they recently joined CharIN, a Berlin-based alliance that is leading a global effort to standardize electric-vehicle charging infrastructure.

Falling prices and government mandates are set to boost sales of electric vehicles globally, making owning and operating charging infrastructure an attractive area for investment.

Thor Trucks Inc., a startup not quite 2 years old, will manufacture electric-battery Class 8 trucks beginning next year, according to the Los Angeles-based company.