Diesel wins one as CARB repeals Advanced Clean Fleets rule

The California Air Resource Board (CARB) has withdrawn its request to suspend the proposed Advanced Clean Fleets rule, which would have required “electrification-ready” aircraft to reduce emissions through the introduction of electric-emission vehicles (ZEVs) and a ban on diesel sales after 2035.

The state of California submitted its Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) application to the EPA, which would have required the state's truck fleet to switch to zero-emission vehicles starting last year, in November 2023, resulting in more fleets and ports. operators to accelerate their adoption of electric trucks and encourage manufacturers to move more of their BEV production capacity to California.

As the sun sets on the pro-environment Biden Administration, CARB is backing away from the Trump Administration's efforts to enforce its state's rights to set emissions standards that are stricter than federal regulations.

“In fact, given that the Trump administration has not publicly supported some of the strategies we've used in these regulations, we thought it would be prudent to step back and consider our options,” CARB chairwoman Liane Randolph said in an interview. “The withdrawal is an important step given the uncertainty presented by an incoming administration that has attacked California's plans to protect public health and the climate and said it will continue to oppose those plans.”

The EPA has granted a waiver of the state's request for a waiver, effectively delaying CARB's ACF rule for at least four years, provided the state maintains its belief that the waiver is needed to stop the non-standard emissions regulation altogether. . California Governor Gavin Newsom, on the other hand, intends to continue to push for ZEV adoption in the state with a number of incentives at the federal level to encourage continued decarbonization.

Here's hoping BEVs and ZEVs have better luck in the next round.

Electrek's Take

While some may celebrate the delay of the Advanced Clean Fleets rule, their celebrations will undoubtedly seem myopic and short-lived. The truth is that America is no longer the world leader in technology or transportation that backward organizations like the American Trucking Association believe it to be, and the truth is that a delay in the transition to cleaner, more efficient technology will put the US ahead of it. economic rivals in Asia and the Middle East.

Even before this Pyrrhic victory for American truck companies that have been slow to push BEVs into production, demand for diesel has been extremely low, and companies like Volvo, Renault, and Mercedes-Benz have been logging millions of electric miles from their trucks. ships.

All that means: if you thought it was going to be hard for American brands to find you before, it's going to be even harder now.

SOURCES | PHOTOS: ACT News, Overdrive; Reuters.