Hydrogen, EVs, and RNG—Which Fuel Wins the Future of Clean Transportation?
In this episode of Hammer Down, host Mike Bush speaks with Lawren Markle of TRC's Clean Transportation Solutions Team about the state of clean trucking ahead of ACT Expo 2025. They explore the real-world challenges and successes of fleet electrification, hydrogen, and renewable natural gas adoption. The conversation highlights the economic, operational, and infrastructure hurdles fleets must navigate to scale sustainable transportation solutions.
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Key takeaways
ACT Expo 2025 (April 28–30, Anaheim) will showcase peer-to-peer fleet case studies across electric, hydrogen, and RNG technologies.
Fleets are increasingly evaluating clean technology through the lens of financial and operational feasibility, not just sustainability mandates.
Infrastructure gaps—including grid capacity and hydrogen fueling logistics—remain key barriers to scaling clean commercial transportation.
Transportation is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases generated by energy use globally, with over one billion oil-powered vehicles contributing to the challenge of achieving climate goals. That said, the transition to clean transportation is accelerating, and nowhere is that more evident than in the commercial fleet sector. As regulatory pressure shifts toward sustainability goals, companies are navigating a complex landscape of alternative fuels, zero-emission vehicles, and infrastructure challenges. With more than 460 exhibitors and a full-scale takeover of the Anaheim Convention Center, the upcoming Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo promises to be the largest and most impactful yet.
With fleets exploring electric, hydrogen, and renewable natural gas options, one key question looms: What strategies are truly working in the shift to clean trucking?
Welcome to Hammer Down. In this episode, host Mike Bush sits down with Lawren Markle, the Director of Media Relations at the Clean Transportation Solutions Team at TRC, which hosts the ACT Expo. The duo dives into what's ahead for ACT Expo 2025, the real-world successes and challenges of fleet electrification, and how businesses can cut through the noise to build an effective clean transportation strategy.
Key takeaways from the conversation…
- Fleet Case Studies & Technology Deep Dives: ACT Expo 2025, to be held from April 28-30, will feature peer-to-peer learning opportunities, showcasing real-world implementations of electric, hydrogen, and natural gas-powered fleets.
- Economic & Operational Realities: While sustainability is a key driver, fleets are now focused on the financial and operational feasibility of clean technology investments.
- Infrastructure & Fueling Challenges: From grid capacity issues to hydrogen fueling logistics, the discussion explores the hurdles fleets must overcome to scale clean transportation solutions.
Lawren Markle is a media relations and communications expert specializing in clean transportation, renewable energy, and emerging vehicle technologies. As the Director of Media Relations at TRC's Clean Transportation Solutions Team, he connects reporters with key stories on zero-emission commercial fleets, industry regulations, and sustainability trends. With previous leadership roles at LAEDC, Caltech, and Tech Image, he has a strong track record in strategic PR, content development, and thought leadership for the high-tech and environmental sectors.
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About the author
Beginning his career by learning how to tell a brand’s story, leveraging marcom to build market share, utilizing PR to get people engaged, and innovating trust-based relationships between products and people, He took on diverse challenges and continually grew. Mike created the first ever SEO practice in Washington DC — generating $10M+ in revenue for 10+ clients. Throughout my career, Mike gained unique experiences such as spearheading marcom for a company after a real-time suicide (incident inspired a Law & Order SVU episode) with minimal negative publicity. And advising a client in PR best practices after an employee had committed a highly publicized terrorist attack in the US. Company was able to maintain all major financial relationships (JPM, BofA, Well Fargo, AmEx, etc.). He worked for a leader in the automotive services industry — building a reputation as nationally recognized expert on road rage (including an appearance on Court TV as a Subject Matter Expert). This included creating media that generated 100M+ impressions.
