Latest news with #AdvancedCleanFleets
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Port of Long Beach fully behind push for ZEV trucks despite ACF failure: COO
NEW YORK – With the impending formal death of California's Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) rule, it would be easy to assume efforts to position the state's ports at the forefront of adopting a growing percentage of zero-emission vehicles are running into huge headwinds. But monthly data from the Port of Long Beach continues to show that the number of ZEVs operating at the state's largest port is rising. The growth goes on even without the ACF mandate that, had it been implemented, was going to have its biggest initial impact on purchases of new drayage an interview on the sidelines of a presentation by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, Noel Hacegaba, the Port of Long Beach's chief operating officer, expressed little concern that the demise of the ACF would mean the end of the port's plan to transition to an all-ZEV fleet by 2035. 'We never expected this journey to be a smooth, seamless one,' Hacegabe, who has a doctorate in public administration, said in an interview with FreightWaves. 'As all of us are learning on different fronts, things can change on a dime, but we're not going to deviate from our goals, and we're not going to deviate from our plans.' The shift to ZEV drayage vehicles was long planned as one of the first concrete steps the state would take when the ACF was to be implemented at the start of 2024. Under the rule, any new vehicles entered into the state's drayage registry would need to be ZEVs. There was no leeway for a low-emission vehicle, like a natural gas-powered truck. The drayage truck would need to be propelled by batteries or hydrogen to be considered a ZEV. If it wasn't, it couldn't be registered. But when California decided in late 2023 not to begin enforcing the ACF because of the legal battle over whether the state needed a waiver from the Environmental Protection Agency to implement the rule, that registry mandate was put on hold. With the state withdrawing its request for a waiver during the waning days of the Biden administration, the drayage rule suddenly had no did not stop some drayage operators from adding ZEVs to their fleet. The Port of Long Beach publishes monthly data on the number of ZEVs operating there and recently also has reported how many are battery-electric vehicles and how many operate on hydrogen. As the graph in the below post on X shows, that growth has not stopped: Total ZEVs have been up every month since the start of 2024. What cannot be known is how high the number would be had the mandate gone into effect. In the interview, Hacegaba noted that the port has been collecting a $10 fee per twenty-foot equivalent unit since April 2022 to create a pool of money that would help the transition to more ZEV drayage vehicles. That fund is still in place, even if the ACF is not. 'Right from the very beginning, it was always intended to help incentivize the industry transition to zero-emission trucks,' Hacegaba said. 'In light of some of the developments on the policy front, our intent is to look for ways to accelerate the transition.' An early push, according to Hacegaba, was to install more charging facilities at the port. He said as a result of that initiative, there are now 100 charging stations within the port. The plan is to increase that to 300 within 18 months. As a result, he said, the supply of charging stations is now adequate. 'Now we're going to pivot once again and look for ways to help incentivize the transition of cleaner trucks through incentives,' Hacegaba said in discussing how the clean truck assessment money will be used next. The ACF was always meant to work hand in hand with the Advanced Clean Trucks rule, which did receive a waiver from the Biden administration EPA. (That waiver is now threatened by congressional action.) ACF was to mandate that fleets buy ZEVs, not just for drayage but for other trucking uses. And with that mandate in place, ACT was to lay out how OEMs would need to supply California with ZEVs to meet the demand coming out of the ACF. With the ACF now dead in all but name, the question since January has been whether OEMs will build the ZEVs the state continues to seek in the absence of the was cautiously optimistic about OEMs delivering enough ZEVs to meet the goals of the California ports to free themselves from internal combustion engines. He noted that there are still subsidies and incentives funded by the state, and that its programs could be expanded. 'There is an opportunity for ports like ours and the state to step in and see how we could potentially close the gap and make these trucks more affordable,' he said. And if that happens, he added, 'that will give comfort to these manufacturers that there is still market interest. That will go a long way.' Hacegaba also suggested that the ongoing bankruptcy of hydrogen truck manufacturer Nikola could present an opportunity for the state to step in and acquire assets from the company. 'We're looking at ways to help incentivize the utilization of these hydrogen assets,' he said. Although the number of ZEV trucks is rising, other data in the port's monthly report shows how tough it will be to get to a full ZEV fleet, especially without a mandate. In the latest report for April, even with the number of ZEVs up 92.5% from April 2024, the percentage of all moves within the port carried out by a ZEV rose only to 1.78%. It was 1.25% a year ago. And while natural gas-powered drayage trucks are not seen as having a long-term future in an all-ZEV port, some advocates believe they do have a role in cleaning up emissions. But natural gas vehicles in April accounted for 4% of all port moves. A year earlier, in April 2024, it was 7%. More articles by John Kingston Last-ditch attempt at tort reform in Texas falls short as second bill fails Georgia tort reform aims to change practices in judicial 'hell hole' BMO's Q2 earnings show no improvement in credit conditions for trucking The post Port of Long Beach fully behind push for ZEV trucks despite ACF failure: COO appeared first on FreightWaves.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
California deal with 16 states would end key parts of Advanced Clean Fleets rule
California has taken steps that, if completed, would over time effectively end key portions of its Advanced Clean Fleets rule, through a settlement of a lawsuit by 16 states spearheaded by the Nebraska attorney general. The settlement was posted Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. It is a predictable outcome of the decision in January by the state, through the California Air Resources Board (CARB), to withdraw its request for a waiver from the Environmental Protection Agency that would have granted EPA permission to implement the Advanced Clean Fleets rule. ACF would have established a series of mandates for truck owners in California to follow on the way to ending internal combustion engines in trucks by the mid-2040s. According to the court document, the agreement will require CARB staff to present to the board a proposal to repeal the high-priority fleets and drayage requirements of ACF. There will be a public hearing on the proposal before Oct. 31. The 'Initial Statement of Reasons' for the rulemaking that would approve the repeal would need to be published by Sept. high-priority fleets section of ACF governed purchases of Class 8 tractors, among other vehicles. The drayage requirements were to be the first rules to hit the state's trucking sector, requiring any new drayage trucks to be registered with the state after Jan. 1, 2024, to be zero-emission vehicles. But the state said in late 2023 it would not enforce that mandate while various lawsuits played out. When the state withdrew its waiver request in the final days of the Biden administration, any pathway to implementing the key parts of the ACF in California appeared dead. But in response to a query from FreightWaves, CARB seemed to suggest that the embers are still burning for the ACF, though at a lower temperature. Its spokeswoman used the terms 'certain elements' and 'new and alternative approaches' in an email to FreightWaves. 'CARB recently took steps to resolve litigation … on the Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) Regulation by filing a joint stipulation,' the spokeswoman said in the email. 'CARB agreed to present a proposal to repeal certain elements of the ACF Regulation to the Board and not to enforce certain requirements of the regulation. [Plaintiffs] agreed to dismiss [their] case after the repeal becomes effective under state law. CARB remains committed to protecting public health using existing authorities as well as new and alternative approaches.'While CARB has not put out a formal statement about the agreement it reached in the Nebraska case, the settlement filed with the court spells out the steps to be taken by the agency. The defendants in the case were CARB Executive Officer Steven Cliff and California Attorney General Rob Bonta. 'The Parties have reached an agreement that is anticipated to resolve this litigation but will require time to execute,' according to the document known as a 'stipulation and order to hold case in abeyance pending outcome of rulemaking.' If the CARB board agrees to the proposed repeal of the high priority and drayage sections of ACF, it will be submitted to the state's Office of Administrative Law by Aug. 31, 2026. After that occurs, Nebraska and the other plaintiffs will withdraw their lawsuit, filed just less than a year ago. What is notable about the agreement is that it does not make reference to the full repeal of ACF. It refers only to the high-priority and drayage sections of the proposal. In the court document, the state also says it will not enforce the part of the ACF that requires 100% ZEV sales in the medium- and heavy-duty categories beginning with the 2036 model year 'until CARB obtains a Clean Air Act preemption waiver from EPA for that regulatory requirement,' seemingly leaving the door slightly ajar to revive at least part of the ACF under changed political conditions. There also is no reference in the court settlement to the section of the ACF that would require government fleets to begin a transition to zero-emission vehicles by purchasing a growing percentage of ZEVs for their own fleets. The original Nebraska lawsuit did describe the provisions of the government fleet mandate, but it is not mentioned in the four-page settlement document that was released Monday. In addition to the attorney general of Nebraska, the attorneys general of 15 other red states joined as plaintiffs: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia and Nebraska Trucking Association and the Arizona State Legislature also were plaintiffs. In its prepared statement on the court settlement, Kent Grisham, the president of the Nebraska Trucking Association, noted that the lawsuit is not being withdrawn. 'We are only putting it into abeyance until CARB follows through on its promise to repeal ACF altogether,' he said. 'But the fact that they have admitted that an EPA waiver is necessary sends a signal to any other state wanting to create a patchwork of regulations around the country that when it comes to interstate commerce, a unified national approach is the only way to keep the supply chains running.' Much of the opposition from other states to various California clean transportation rules is not that they can create a patchwork of regulations. It is that the sheer size of the California market will lead OEMs making cars or trucks to produce vehicles that meet California's standards in all locations, effectively nationalizing one state's rules. When CARB first approved the ACF, its view was that it did not need a waiver, as it did for the companion Advanced Clean Trucks rule. But late in 2023, California did request a waiver for ACF. Conventional wisdom when it was withdrawn in January is that the waiver request was being pulled because the Trump administration would be in charge of the EPA in just a few days. But the fact that it had been more than a year since the waiver request was made to EPA and it still had not been approved by the Biden-led EPA was also seen as a signal that even a Biden EPA was not prepared to approve the sweeping changes that would have been required under the ACF. More articles by John Kingston 2 markets in 1 quarter: Auto-hauling demand volatile for Proficient Leadership at C.H. Robinson celebrates 1-year milestone by posting another strong quarter RXO finds positives in quarter marked by soft market and profit loss The post California deal with 16 states would end key parts of Advanced Clean Fleets rule appeared first on FreightWaves.
Epoch Times
07-05-2025
- Automotive
- Epoch Times
California Agrees to Drop Electric-Truck Mandates in Legal Settlement
State attorneys general suing California said on May 6 that the state has agreed, as part of a legal settlement, to repeal electric-truck mandates that would have compelled trucking companies nationwide to scrap internal-combustion trucks. California wants to mandate 100 percent electric vehicles by 2036, and critics say that because of the size of the state's economy, the largest in the country, the policy has the effect of forcing electrification of the nation's trucks. Given the influence of the state's policies, several other states have already adopted its regulatory framework for motor vehicles. California has said its policies on motor vehicles are needed to drive down demand for liquid fuel and help the climate. The shift away from the truck mandate was articulated in an Lead Defendant Steven S. Cliff is the executive officer of the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Related Stories 4/23/2025 2/19/2025 Nebraska, Oklahoma, and 15 other states had sued to challenge a group of California regulations known as Advanced Clean Fleets. Those rules would have required some trucking companies that operate in California to retire their internal-combustion trucks and move to electric trucks, which they argued were more expensive and less efficient, Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers said in a statement provided to The Epoch Times. As part of the settlement, California regulators have agreed to begin rulemaking proceedings to rescind the electric truck mandate. The regulators have acknowledged they cannot enforce the planned 2036 ban on the sale of internal-combustion trucks unless the ban receives a waiver from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the federal Clean Air Act, Hilgers said. 'The tide is starting to turn, as California has agreed to take the necessary steps to withdraw the Advanced Clean Fleets Rule,' Hilgers said. 'This settlement is a huge win for everyone in Nebraska, from our outstanding logistics industry that is critical to the Nebraska economy, for consumers who would have faced higher prices, and for the rule of law,' he said. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said the settlement 'is a victory for the free market.' 'The California mandates would have forced tremendous costs upon the commercial trucking industry and had far-reaching implications for consumers,' Drummond said in a statement provided to The Epoch Times. The settlement described in the court order states that CARB staff will move forward with a proposal to repeal the relevant part of the Advanced Clean Fleets regulation before the board in a public hearing to be held not later than Oct. 31. If the board approves the repeal, CARB staff will file a rulemaking action not later than Aug. 31, 2026. California agrees not to enforce the mandate while awaiting CARB taking action. The lawsuit will be held 'in abeyance,' or delayed during the CARB rulemaking process. The states will dismiss their legal complaint within 15 days after the repeal is finalized, the settlement states. The Epoch Times reached out for comment to California Deputy Attorney General Elaine Meckenstock, who was part of California's legal team in the lawsuit. No reply was received by publication time. Meanwhile, U.S. Supreme Court justices are currently considering whether to revive a lawsuit filed by energy companies that seek to challenge California's tough vehicle emissions standards. The case, Diamond Alternative Energy v. Environmental Protection Agency, was In April 2024, a federal appeals court found California had the authority to regulate tailpipe emissions. That court also held that the energy companies bringing the legal action could not demonstrate that they had standing to sue. Standing refers to the right of someone to sue in court. The parties must show a strong enough connection to the claim to justify their participation in a lawsuit. The companies argued that they would suffer economic harm if California were allowed to continue imposing vehicle emissions standards that are more stringent than those mandated by the federal government. The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the case by the end of June.
The Hill
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Hill
Coalition of GOP AGs celebrate win against California's clean-truck rule
A coalition of Republican attorneys general is claiming victory against California following the state's pledge to repeal its electric-truck mandate amid an ongoing lawsuit. California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Steve Cliff, executive officer of the California Air Resources Board, agreed in a settlement on Monday to propose the elimination of multiple portions of California's Advanced Clean Fleets regulation: its rule that has aimed to accelerate the transition to zero-emissions trucks. The settlement occurred in response to a lawsuit filed by 17 attorneys general who disputed the idea that the rule would be targeting 'any fleet that operated in California regardless of where the fleet is headquartered.' 'Given California's large population and access to international ports, this rule would have had nationwide effects on the supply chain,' the attorneys general said in a statement. As part of the settlement, Cliff agreed to propose the repeal of 'the High-Priority Fleet and Drayage Fleet Requirements,' which refers to on-road vehicles that transport containers and bulk goods to and from sea-yards and rail-yards Bonta and Cliff also conceded that they would not enforce the part of the regulation that would have required 100-percent, zero-emission-vehicle sales in the trucking sector beginning with model-year 2036. The plaintiffs, meanwhile, agreed that if California finalizes the repeals, they would dismiss their lawsuit. 'This is not only a victory for the trucking industry — it is also a victory for consumers and common sense,' West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey said in a statement. 'This mandate would have crippled the trucking industry and driven up consumer pricing,' he added. Joining McCuskey in the petition were the attorneys general of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah and Wyoming. Also supporting them were the Nebraska Trucking Association and the Arizona State Legislature. McCuskey praised his colleagues for standing 'up to California to prevent them from pushing their obsession with electric vehicle onto the rest of the country.'
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Kenworth, other electric truck makers, confront changing policy environment
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Eyeing regulations and purchase incentives intended to slash the freight industry's reliance on fossil fuels, engineers at Kenworth Truck Co. spent five years developing an electric big rig that went on sale during the giant ACT Expo clean transportation conference here on April 28. The result was an agile and quiet semi-tractor far more comfortable, and in most attributes, technologically superior to its diesel counterpart. But now the Kenworth Class 8 T880E and the T680E work truck face hurdles that have nothing to do with the weight they can haul, how far they can travel per charge or the time it takes to energize their batteries. They face a changing regulatory environment and a White House where administrators look at EVs with skepticism to hostility, depending on the individual and agency. Sign up for the weekly Automotive News Mobility Report newsletter for the latest developments at the intersection of transportation and technology. In his March 6 address to Congress, President Donald Trump said he would end Biden administration policies that favored electric cars and trucks, characterizing them as an 'electric vehicle mandate.' Even before Trump's speech, regulators were making adjustments. In January, the California Air Resources Board abandoned its effort to obtain a federal waiver from the EPA for its Advanced Clean Fleets regulation. The waiver would have allowed it to prohibit the sale of new gasoline and diesel trucks in 2036 and force freight fleets to use zero-emission trucks by 2042. Kenworth had looked at California's regulatory push — and its influence on the environmental policies of other states — to create the initial market for heavy-duty electric trucks. The state's $4.1 trillion economy and massive port infrastructures require tens of thousands of heavy-duty diesel-engine truck trips daily, which would all be replaced with zero-emissions counterparts. Electric truck makers knew the standards before Trump took office. Now 'we have to watch how they evolve now and adapt,' Joe Adams, Kenworth's chief engineer, told Automotive News. Kenworth is not alone. Sibling Peterbilt is using the same technology to launch electric trucks. Rivals Freightliner, Volvo, Mack and International already have or will soon have competitive offerings. Meanwhile, distribution centers, fleet operators and private companies have poured tens of millions of dollars into charging infrastructure to power the thousands of electric trucks previously expected to be deployed on the busy shipping corridors emanating from the sprawling Southern California port complex and across the state. They are now watching how the market will develop. 'The industry is expecting a deceleration of sales based on the policy shifts,' said Henrik Holland, global head of mobility at Prologis. The San Francisco company owns or manages 1.3 billion square feet of warehouse and distribution space. Nonetheless, Prologis is moving forward with charging infrastructure investments that will reach hundreds of millions of dollars. Holland said he believes the freight industry will adopt electric trucks but, in the near term, at a slower pace than it would have without the policy shifts. Just before ACT Expo, Prologis Mobility, the company's charging provider, and NFI, a motor carrier, said they would build a charging depot in Ontario, Calif., that could handle up to 20 rigs daily. NFI is already running 90 electric Volvo and Freightliner electric trucks between the port and inland distribution centers. Kenworth executives said there would be a market for their truck, both because of their approach to its development and customer interest, even after a reduction of state mandates and regulations that would have forced their purchase. 'We believe there are some segments that are out there now or in the near future where you're going to see battery electrics maybe have a [total cost of operation] that's positive,' Adams said. Municipalities and regional governments still have an interest and will be early customers, said Sarah Abernethy, Kenworth powertrain marketing manager. 'That is where we believe there to be a little bit more funding,' she said, adding that for companies keeping their environmental, social and governance goals 'we still believe that these trucks will do an excellent job in a lot of applications.' That makes the trucks a choice for fleets looking to lower carbon emissions, she said. Kenworth and the other electric truck manufacturers saw a partial reprieve on April 25 when CARB and the California Trucking Association reached an agreement on how the state would proceed with its requirements. The framework calls for the trade group to dismiss a lawsuit against the state over the regulation. Following action expected this summer, the board will limit its electric truck purchase and operating mandates to state and local governments and public agencies and colleges. California regulators don't need federal approval for that regulation. Kenworth is moving forward and has started to accept orders for its electric truck range at ACT Expo. It has taken a modular approach to its Class 8 electric trucks. Both Kenworth and the Peterbilt versions offer two to five battery packs depending on the customer's needs. A company needing a work truck or an urban hauler — both operating in a small, defined radius — might choose two battery packs that provide a range of 100 miles. Additional packs add about 50 miles. The largest configuration has a 250-mile range, a peak of 605 hp and 1,850 pound-feet of torque. 'A lot of consideration has gone into how we've designed the product line so that we can span this very broad application coverage,' Adams said. There's also opportunity in other markets. Kenworth is a division of Paccar Inc., a global truck manufacturer. Last year, it delivered 45,400 trucks — about a quarter of its global sales — in Europe, a region that continues to transition to electric commercial vehicles. Some motor carriers here are still expressing interest in electric trucks, even if Congress ends the federal Commercial Clean Vehicle Credit of up to $40,000. Jennie Abarca owns King Fio Trucking, a regional carrier with 32 trucks that works the nearby port complex. Her fleet includes two Nikola electric tractors and six Volvo VNR Electric semis. A seventh is on order. Her drivers like the considerable reduction in noise and vibration they experience in the electric models. 'It's like driving a big BMW,' she said. Abarca has used large California incentives and grants to make the down payment on the electric trucks, and those incentives are expected to continue. In February, the most recent month for the data, the state provided $31 million in purchase incentives for 200 zero-emission trucks and buses, or an average of $155,000 per vehicle, according to CARB. 'That's what helps you get over the hurdle of having a bigger upfront payment. Also, there's literally no maintenance. I am not doing oil changes. I'm not doing fuel filters. I am not doing transmission fluid. All these things you have to constantly change in a diesel, I don't have to do those in the EV,' Abarca told Automotive News. Powering the truck is another significant savings. Once she's able to charge at her depot later this year, Abarca figures she will spend about $100 per week per truck on electricity. That compares with the $800 to $1,000 weekly for her diesel trucks. 'When you're able to self-charge, then it really starts to make sense,' she said. As manufacturers use volume to bring assembly costs in line with diesel trucks and as battery prices fall, the market will grow even with reductions in government support, said John Boesel, CEO of Calstart, a clean transportation advocacy non-profit. More models like the ones introduced at ACT Expo also will foster growth. 'That competition will be good for business and fleets,' Boesel said, pushing the manufacturers to produce trucks at lower cost and with better performance than the electric models out now. 'I believe that the market is going to go nowhere but up from here,' he said. Have an opinion about this story? Tell us about it and we may publish it in print. Click here to submit a letter to the editor.
