The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized new pollution standards for heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) today. These new standards, together with investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, take a meaningful step towards reducing emissions, preventing pollution, bolstering fleets and industry, and securing jobs in the energy transition.
Climate Group EV100 Program Manager for North America Richard Parker said:
“Climate Group’s EV100+ business network is kickstarting the transition to zero-emission medium and heavy-duty vehicles. Our members are committed to only procuring zero-emission medium-duty vehicles by 2030 and a full deployment of zero-emission MHDV by 2040.
Through our members, we’ve seen a strong appetite for further electrification and adoption of stringent clean truck standards. These rules are a step in the right direction toward reducing the outsized impact trucks have in the transportation sector – with the expected removal of over a billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere.
But we need to do more. These standards call for an accelerated reduction in tailpipe emissions for vehicles like delivery trucks and school buses, and we must continue to push for stronger emission reductions from heavier vehicles like tractor trailers. Our members are committed to buying electric tractor trailers and are ready to invest now. We need a clear signal to the market that progress on electrification of heavy-duty fleets is happening now. To address the climate crisis, we must electrify all heavy-duty vehicles and our networks need more certainty that HDVs will be produced at scale.
State-level regulations like Advanced Clean Trucks are leading the way towards this transition and should be a model for federal standards moving forward. Let’s meet the moment and reduce emissions from all heavy-duty vehicles at the speed and scale required, while building better charging infrastructure, and securing cleaner air for all."
While heavy-duty vehicles make up just four percent of the vehicles now on the road, they generate more than 25 percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector — the sector already contributing the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. Coupled with the recent announcement of the National Zero Emission Freight Corridor Strategy, these rules are a positive development in the movement toward electrified heavy-duty transportation.
