CARB holds hearing on Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulation

28 October 2022

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) held yesterday a public hearing on the proposed Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulation. The proposal would ban diesel and gasoline truck sales by 2040 and make large trucking fleets convert to zero-emission vehicles such as electric trucks by 2042.

The proposed regulation received fiery criticism from both sides, as 167 members of the public lined up to speak at the CARB hearing—which started at 9 am and lasted well into the night. Environmentalists and public health groups called for a tougher rule that would speed up the 100% electric truck sales requirement to 2036 instead of 2040, while trucking companies said the proposal ignores concerns about electric vehicle costs and technology, lack of infrastructure and the loss of good-paying jobs.

The proposed ACF regulation complements the already adopted Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) rule that sets zero emission vehicle (ZEV) requirements for manufacturers of heavy-duty trucks. The purpose of the Advanced Clean Fleets regulation is to accelerate the widespread adoption of ZEVs in the medium- and heavy-duty truck sector. The main provisions of the ACF proposal include:

• State and local government fleets, drayage trucks, high priority fleets, and federal fleets are required to phase in medium- and heavy-duty ZEVs over time. The exact ZEV phase-in schedule depends on the type of fleet and vehicle category, but all affected fleets have to fully convert to ZEV trucks by 2042.
• Beginning 2040 MY, all new medium- and heavy-duty vehicles sold by manufacturers in California must be ZEV (with the exception of authorized emergency vehicles). This requirement impacts all fleets and individuals who purchase medium- and heavy-duty vehicles in California.

CARB is expected to hold a second hearing on the ACF proposal and vote in the Spring 2023.

Source: CalMatters