In California, trucks will not be able to pollute the air and the planet for much longer. The state is approving the first rule of its kind for truck manufacturers on Thursday. The goal? To make more electric trucks.
The California Air Resources Board will approve the proposal to make zero-emission trucks a reality. Rule demand automakers to increase the share of zero-emission trucks in their sales to California from 2024 to 2035. By 2035, the state wants 55 percent of light and medium-duty truck sales to be electric. As for the heaviest trucks, manufacturers are required to clean 75 percent of their sales by 2035. The state first began passing the Advanced Clean Truck Regulation in 2016 under former Governor Jerry Brown.
“California has always been a leader in advancing clean transportation technology“Costa Samaras, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, told Earther.” It’s a big problem. “
Most of California’s greenhouse gas emissions come from transport of which heavy vehicles makeup over 8 percent of those emissions. Passenger vehicles are the largest contributor, but these vehicles also include light and medium-duty trucks, which are regulated by the new rule. Common light-duty trucks are vans like the Chevrolet Silverado. Medium-duty trucks include vehicles used to transport goods, such as delivery trucks or school buses.
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The rule also follows a plan announced last week to electrify road infrastructure for freight transportation in California, Oregon and Washington. If all of these trucks are to be battery operated, they will need adequate charging stations to help them get around. As part of this important electrification plan, California tells automakers that they need to build more clean trucks. Your dirty ones will no longer be welcome for sale in the state.
The rule should help make a big dent in the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, as well as air quality. The state is home to some of the dirtier air in the US, including cities ranked at the bottom of the American Lung Association of list of the most polluted cities like Los Angeles, Bakersfield and Fresno. Diesel engines are of particular concern. Trucks can emit various toxic pollutants, including soot, benzene, and formaldehyde. The International Agency for Research on Cancer considered Diesel engine exhaust will be carcinogenic in 2012. Therefore, this rule will not only help save the planet; it will literally save lives.
“The reduction and eventual elimination of diesel emissions near where people live is a problem of equity. It is an environmental justice problem, ”said Samaras. “These pollutants cause real damage to health. And many times, communities of color have been the most affected by this type of emissions. Electrifying all the transport segments and having a very clear electrical network are two issues that we cannot wait any longer. “
Samaras hopes that California rule will kick-start the market and increase demand for these clean trucks in other states. From tesla semi electric truck It is only the beginning. After all, automakers don’t want to make one type of vehicle for one state and a different type elsewhere. This could be the pressure the market needs to finally electrify vehicles of all sizes.
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