Leaders from the Clean Freight Coalition (CFC) recently met with officials from the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation to discuss the challenges and opportunities of transitioning the nation’s commercial truck fleet to low- and zero-emission vehicles. The first meeting between CFC and the Joint Office comes as emerging state and federal regulations aim to push the transportation sector toward decarbonization.

During the meeting, the CFC urged the Joint Office to consider the heavy-duty sector when granting federal funds, and according to the organization’s recent press release, CFC cites a massive infrastructure gap as one of the largest hurdles to a seamless transition away from carbon-based fuels—one that the CFC says policymakers need to focus on now.

“One of the fatal flaws in California’s electric-truck mandates is that the infrastructure build-out is light years behind the hyper-aggressive timelines set forth in regulation,” said Jim Mullen, executive director of the CFC.

“By trying to force the trucking industry to electrify without the charging infrastructure and power capacity that will be required, the state is setting trucking and the supply chain up for failure,” Mullen said. “That’s why in our meeting with the Joint Office today we stressed why EPA should not propose ZEV-dependent rules prior to ensuring the necessary resources are actually in place.”

In order to realize the scalable deployment of medium- and heavy-duty battery-electric trucks envisioned by EPA’s GHG3 rulemaking, 15,625 chargers would have to be installed every month between now and 2032, according to a Ricardo analysis. To date, no state has directed any National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) grant program funds to medium- and heavy-duty charging infrastructure, the organization noted in its recent press release. 

The CFC also met with the following lawmakers on Capitol Hill to discuss concerns over EPA’s GHG3 rulemaking and to urge repeal of the federal excise tax:

• Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE); member of the Environment and Public Works Committee; ranking member of the Clean Air, Climate and Nuclear Safety Subcommittee
• Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE); member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee
• Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR); member of the Ways and Means Committee
• Congressman Jeff Duncan (R-SC); member of the Energy and Commerce Committee