New research from the Urban Freight Lab offers a detailed look at how U.S. cities are adopting zero-emission delivery (ZED) strategies to reduce freight emissions and improve air quality. The report, The State of Zero-Emissions Delivery in the U.S., written in collaboration with Cityfi for the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) City Climate Innovation Challenge, provides a snapshot of policies and practices as of early 2025.
While progress is being made, U.S. cities still trail behind counterparts in Europe and Asia in electrification, use of smaller delivery vehicles like e-bikes, and urban space management for ZED. The report outlines a framework focusing on three pillars: electrification, mode shift and behavior change, and real estate and space management.
The study offers actionable policy tools to help cities accelerate ZED adoption and establishes a baseline to track future progress. The LACI Challenge supports a national cohort of cities working to reduce freight emissions. The Urban Freight Lab’s role includes developing evaluation frameworks, designing policy and business models, and supporting pilot programs to help scale effective ZED strategies nationwide.