By Mike Kastner, NTEA Managing Director
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This article was published in the August 2020 edition of NTEA News.
California Air Resources Board (CARB) unanimously approved regulations that would phase in electric zero-emission trucks beginning in 2024 through 2045.
According to CARB, the new rule “puts California on the path for an all zero-emission short-haul drayage fleet in ports and railyards by 2035, and zero-emission ‘last-mile’ delivery trucks and vans by 2040.”
Under the new regulation, OEMs certifying Class 2b–8 chassis or complete vehicles will be required to sell zero-emission trucks at an increasing percentage of their annual California sales from 2024–2035.
As soon as 2024, OEMs would be required to sell at least 5% zero-emission trucks in Class 2b–3, 9% of Class 4–8 trucks and 5% of Class 7–8 tractors. By 2035, an OEM’s California truck sales would need to be 55% zero-emission for Class 2b–3 straight trucks, 75% for Class 4–8 straight trucks and 40% for truck-tractors.
By 2045, every new truck sold in California will need to be zero-emission.
CARB Chair Mary D. Nichols said of the new regulations, “It would also send a clear market signal for widescale electrification for trucks and buses in California. This will drive investments in manufacturing and infrastructure that will accelerate the market for zero-emission trucks. The growth of the zero-emissions market will result in new, green, high-quality jobs.”
The new rule applies to OEM sales in California but also has a one-time fleet reporting requirement.
According to CARB, “Large employers including retailers, manufacturers, brokers and others would be required to report information about shipments and shuttle services. Fleet owners, with 50 or more trucks, would be required to report about their existing fleet operations. This information would help identify future strategies to ensure that fleets purchase available zero-emission trucks and place them in service where suitable to meet their needs.”
CARB is said to be working on a proposal that would require truck fleets to be responsible for buying zero-emission electric vehicles.
In late August, CARB will consider additional regulations, including a stringent new limit on nitrogen oxides and a proposal to reduce heavy-truck particulate matter emissions. It will also consider requiring truck OEMs to extend criteria pollutant emission warranty and useful life period requirements for heavy-duty vehicles and engines.
One criticism of the new regulations is that they focus on electric and fuel cell technology for the future without adequately recognizing or incentivizing near-zero-emission vehicles available today at what might be a lower cost.
Learn more at ntea.com/advocacy.