California approves regulation that ends combustion truck sales in 2036

California approves regulation that ends combustion truck sales in 2036

Some fleet owners will have to transition a percentage of their vehicles by certain dates to meet expected zero-emission milestones.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has approved a rule that requires a phased-in transition toward zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. Known as Advanced Clean Fleets, the new rule helps put California on a path toward fully transitioning the trucks that travel across the state to zero-emissions technology by 2045. The Advanced Clean Fleets rule includes an end to combustion truck sales in 2036. The rule also provides fleet owners flexibility and provides regulatory certainty to the heavy-duty market, CARB says.

CARB says the new rule is expected to generate $26.6 billion in health savings from reduced asthma attacks, emergency room visits and respiratory illnesses. This transition is expected to result in a total operating cost savings of $48 billion for fleet owners through 2050, CARB adds.

Under the new rule, fleet owners operating vehicles for private services will begin their transition toward zero-emission vehicles starting in 2024, the board notes. Additionally, due to the impact that truck traffic has on residents living near heavily trafficked corridors, drayage trucks will need to be zero-emissions by 2035.  All other fleet owners will have the option to transition a percentage of their vehicles to meet expected zero-emission milestones. The flexibility is intended to take into consideration the available technology and the need to target the highest-polluting vehicles, CARB says. For example, last mile delivery and yard trucks must transition by 2035, work trucks and day cab tractors must be zero-emission by 2039, and sleeper cab tractors and specialty vehicles must be zero-emission by 2042.

While trucks represent only 6% of the vehicles on California’s roads, they account for over 35% of the state’s transportation-generated nitrogen oxide emissions and a quarter of the state’s on-road greenhouse gas emissions. California is set to invest almost $3 billion between 2021-2025 in zero-emission trucks and infrastructure. This investment, according to the recent press release, is part of a $9 billion multi-year, multi-agency zero-emissions vehicle package to equitably decarbonize the transportation sector that was agreed upon by the governor and the legislature in 2021.

The rule, according to the CARB, allows fleet owners to receive exemptions based on available technology to make sure fleet owners continue to replace their older polluting trucks with ones that have the cleanest engines in the nation. The recent release states that there are about 150 existing medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission trucks that are commercially available in the U.S. today.

An analysis of the sales and purchase requirements estimates that about 1.7 million zero-emission trucks will hit California roads by 2050. As part of the vote, board members directed staff to coordinate with relevant state agencies on how non-fossil biomethane from sources related to the state’s wastewater and food waste diversion requirements under SB1383 can be used in hard-to-decarbonize sectors as part of the transition, and to report to the Board, by the end of 2025, any actions needed to accomplish the transition.

You May Also Like

ABB collaborates with Lhyfe, Skyborn on European renewable hydrogen projects

SoutH2port is expected to produce about 240 tons of hydrogen per day, with an installed capacity of 600 MW.

ABB is collaborating with Lhyfe, a producer of renewable hydrogen, and Skyborn, a provider of renewable energy, to jointly work on SoutH2Port, a large-scale Swedish renewable hydrogen project.

The project, according to the companies, is to be located in close proximity to Skyborns’ 1 GW offshore wind farm Storgrundet in Söderhamn, Sweden, where Skyborn and Lhyfe recently entered a sales purchase agreement with Stora Enso for an industry property. When fully operational, SoutH2port is expected to produce about 240 tons of hydrogen per day, with an installed capacity of 600 MW, making it one of the largest suppliers of renewable hydrogen in Europe, the recent press release notes.

Merge Electric Fleet Solutions announces subscription package to support EV integration

Merge Electric Fleet Solutions launches EV subscription with charging, analytics, and support for fleet operators, reducing risk and cost.

FleetScripton-Merge-1400
Volvo Group Mobility Transformation Forum collaborates to accelerate European sustainability

The event showcased Volvo Group’s investment in fossil-free propulsion technologies, services, and business solutions.

ConMet Digital Driver app for telematics solution now available for download 

ConMet says its Digital Driver app empowers drivers and saves costs with data-driven insights.

ConMet-Digital-Telematics-solution
Bendix earns DOE recognition for sustainable manufacturing in Indiana

Bendix Huntington has received a 2023 Better Project award from the department’s Better Plants program.

Bendix-department-of-energy-winner

Other Posts

Cummins produces 2.5 millionth engine at its Jamestown Engine Plant

President of Engine Business Srikanth Padmanabhan anticipates a bright future in trucking for natural gas and hydrogen powertrains.

Cummins-JEP-millionth-engine-1400
Five truck trend takeaways from May

Your fleet’s role in facilitating the smooth and efficient movement of people and goods becomes paramount during this bustling period.

may-takeaway
The electric truck impact on a dealer’s role, OEM technology development

Decarbonization talk has moved, at least in the battery electric truck segment, toward equipment and infrastructure support.

vovlo-trucks-ev-dealer-technology
ATC Drivetrain acquires Mack GmbH as part of global remanufacturing and sustainability initiative

The acquisition includes Mack’s new energy-efficient German facility, featuring solar power generation that will support ATC’s activities.

ATC-Drivetrain-mack-gmbH