California has doubled sales of electric trucks, buses and delivery vehicles. Newsom grants new regulations

Sales of new electric trucks, buses and vans in California in 2023 doubled from the previous year, according to new state data, and one in six medium and heavy-duty vehicles sold in the state generates zero carbon emissions.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said the numbers show the industry is transitioning to clean heavy-duty transportation faster than required under California’s latest landmark regulations. On Thursday, he hailed the raise as a key milestone.

“We’re proving we can do it,” he said during a media call, noting his recent enjoyable experience driving a PepsiCo electric truck. “It’s not just about reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This is about economic power. It’s about economic competitiveness.”

The state’s Advanced Clean Trucking Ordinance, passed in 2020, required increased sales of zero-emission trucks and vans, with the goal of ensuring that all new commercial vehicles sold in the state are electric by 2045.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB), which collects data on vehicle sales and registrations at major ports, found that medium- and heavy-duty vehicles reached 16% of the market in 2023, well above the 6% sales requirement. by 2024

Ford and GM have sold the most zero-emission trucks, according to CARB data. The report lacked details on which class of truck or van saw the most sales, such as “last mile” delivery vehicles delivering e-commerce parcels.

Medium- and heavy-duty diesel and gasoline-powered vehicles account for a significant portion of transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions in California, accounting for approximately 20% of total greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.

CARB is based on Environmental Protection Agency to grant waivers under the Clean Air Act, allowing the state to implement more stringent vehicle pollution regulations than federal standards, and is currently awaiting the Biden administration’s approval of state truck emissions regulations by 2022.

Through ambitious regulations and loans, California leaders want to make the state a leader in electric vehicle production and technology development.

“California is the new Michigan when it comes to producing zero-emission vehicles,” said Patty Monohan, who serves on the California Energy Commission. “CARB’s world-leading regulations are essential to achieving our air quality and climate goals.”

Andrea Vidaurre, co-founder and policy coordinator of the People’s Collective for Environmental Justice, was a leading voice in the creation of CARB’s groundbreaking trucking regulations. She said this data validates the communities that pushed for these policies.

Her work focused on air pollution and health impacts on communities of color in the Inland Empire and throughout the Central Valley caused by the state’s booming warehousing and diesel trucking industries.

“We were right,” she said. “That’s why regulations are so important. Simply using incentives or leaving it to the market is not enough. It is regulatory policy that pushes us in the right direction.”