California Sets Standards For Electric Trucking Transition

We’ve mentioned the California Air Resources Board in the past. CARB, has been working to make industries switch over to electric vehicles in the state, starting with rideshares like Lyft and Uber, but now going so far as passing Semi-Truck regulations.

On June 25, CARB decided to force trucking companies to start switching from diesel fleets to zero-emissions vehicles in 2024. By 2045, all the industrial trucks sold in the state will have to be emission-less. This will likely ruffle some feathers, but please companies like Tesla, Rivian, Nikola, and Arrival who all are working on electric trucks of one kind or another.

For those of us familiar with the “may cause cancer in California” inscription on products, we already know how the impact of this will affect other jurisdictions. California’s reach far extends their state lines, especially considering the cross-country aspect of trucking.

CARB even went a step further than addressing the impact on air quality, citing racial inequality in a statement they made. This for sure could be seen as a product of the current climate, as the Covid lockdown has resulted in noticeably cleaner atmospheres, and the racial protests in the US have brought inequality to the forefront of climate solutions.

Many California neighborhoods, especially Black and Brown, low-income and vulnerable communities, live, work, play and attend schools adjacent to the ports, railyards, distribution centers, and freight corridors and experience the heaviest truck traffic. This new rule directly addresses disproportionate risks and health and pollution burdens affecting these communities …