California Plans to Ban Diesel, Gas Trucks by 2040, Require All-electric Fleets
California, which banned gas-powered passenger vehicles last month as of 2035, is now considering a ban on diesel and gas-powered trucks by 2040, which would also require large, existing trucking fleets to move to all-electric models by 2042.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) released the proposed regulation last month and will consider it next month. But there is no plan for implementing it — no guarantee manufacturers can meet demand, or that the energy grid can supply power.
CalMatters.org noted:
The air board did not include cost estimates for trucking companies and truck drivers in its proposal, only saying that their upfront costs would be high but they’d save money over time.
About 1.8 million heavy-duty trucks on California’s roads would be affected by the regulation, according to the report.
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Todd Spencer, president and CEO of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, said charging times of more than two hours could “cause total disruption” of the industry.
Earlier this week, the Biden administration approved the first plans of 35 states to build out some 53,000 miles of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. Still, it is not clear whether that same infrastructure could support trucking, in California or beyond — and it is not clear how supply lines and shipping times would be affected by trucks that take longer to charge and have a far shorter range than electric vehicles.Public comment on the proposal is open until Oct. 27, 2022.
