It’s no secret that California is on the path to ban the sale of all new gas and diesel powered vehicles. In a state as populous as it is, the health benefits of curving away from carbon emitting, fossil-fueled ICE is too hard to resist. While the railroad industry is suing the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to block the rule that would ban older locomotives and require rail companies to purchase zero-emissions equipment, it seems the commercial vehicle industry is going the opposite direction. And doing so with a compromise from the state, it would seem.
Which is good for California due to the majority of trucks and other commercial vehicles emitting harmful emissions are coming from out of state. Commercial vehicle emissions, especially diesel-powered vehicles, only make up three percent of the vehicles on the road, according to CARB, but this scant number accounts for over half of nitrogen oxide emissions and particulate matter emissions. With a state as populous and large as California is, emissions are a huge reason for the healthcare costs in the state. According to the American Lung Association, of the top ten ozone-polluted cities in the U.S., six are in the state. If the gas and diesel sales ban takes place, it could save Californians $26.6 billion in healthcare costs related to asthma attacks and other respiratory illnesses.
The manufacturers that are agreeing to this pledge aren’t startups or small manufacturers, either. Cummins, Daimler Truck, Ford, GM, Hino Motors, Isuzu, Navistar, Paccar, Stellantis, and Volvo as well as the Truck and Engine Manufacturing Association are all signers to this pact. For them, it comes down to knowing for sure what’s coming, with Michael Noonan—director of product certification and compliance at Navistar—telling the AP, “This agreement enables the regulatory certainty we all need to prepare for a future which will include ever increasing volumes of low and zero-emissions technologies.”
The idea here is that this agreement will help prevent future lawsuits related to the ban, like the lawsuit going forward by the railroad industry. However, that industry may want to look at what the commercial vehicle and engine manufacturers just did. Having that certainty going into 2036—less than 13 years away—right now means the costs will be lower as it won’t have to play catch-up to these rules.
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