Diesel 3 Wheeler

[Reggie Lamborn]

Theair board will hold a public hearing on the proposal on Oct. 27, after a 45-day public comment period. It comes just a few weeks after the air board passed another far-reaching mandate that bans sales of gas-powered cars by 2035.

These large companies and federal agencies would have a choice on how to comply: They could purchase only zero-emission vehicles beginning in 2024 while retiring diesel trucks at the end of their useful life. Or they could phase-in zero-emission trucks as a percentage of their total fleet, starting with 10% of delivery trucks and other types that are the easiest to electrify in 2025, then ramping up to 100% between 2035 and 2042.

In addition, half of all new trucks purchased by state and local governments would be zero-emission in 2024, increasing to 100% by 2027. Some exemptions are allowed, if there is a lack of available models. Counties with small populations, including Inyo, Butte, Mendocino and Tuolumne, would be exempt until 2027.

Some manufacturers have already announced plans to ramp up sales of electric truck fleets. Tesla plans to roll out electric semi trucks with 500 miles of range later this year, while Volvo Trucks and Nikola Inc. have launched electric big-rigs and other models with ranges of up to 350 miles. Volvo Trucks this year set a global goal that half of its truck sales would be electric by 2030.

Many electric heavy-duty trucks currently on the market still lack the range needed to transport cargo statewide and across state lines. Some vehicles like drayage trucks are better suited for electrification because those vehicles may not need as long of a vehicle range, said Shimoda of the California Trucking Association. But for long-haulers, the mandate could pose serious problems, he said.

Shane Levy of Proterra, an electric vehicle technology company, said the company has rapidly scaled up its battery technology in recent years. It is currently working with more than a dozen manufacturers to electrify medium- and heavy-duty trucks and has delivered battery systems for more than a thousand commercial vehicles.

Portillo, of the Natural Resources Defense Council, said speeding up the transition would have health benefits for low-income, disadvantaged communities that live near highways, railyards and ports, where trucks spew toxic diesel exhaust and smog-forming pollutants.

Nadia Lopez covered environmental policy issues at CalMatters. Before joining CalMatters she covered Latino communities in the San Joaquin Valley for The Fresno Bee and reported from city hall for San...More by Nadia Lopez

Diesel Laptops is your shop efficiency solution company. We do this through diagnostic tools, diesel technician training, repair information, parts lookup tools, and a call center staff with diesel technicians. Diesel Laptops is committed to working with you to find the right solution for your company that fits your needs and budget.

Anyone can sell you a diagnostic tool, but only Diesel Laptops also provides USA-based diesel technicians for assistance, repair information, parts lookup information, and diesel technician training. Along with providing our products, we are the largest distributor in North America for truck and equipment diagnostic products from TEXA, Cojali, NEXIQ and many others.

Act 124 expressly authorizes the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection to designate employees of the Department to enforce the summary offense provisions of the act. Here is the Employee Designation Letter from the Secretary (PDF).

Truck and bus drivers idle their engines during their rest period to provide heat or air conditioning for the sleeper compartment, keep the engine warm during cold weather, and provide electrical power for conveniences such as television. But unnecessary truck idling adversely affects our air quality and wastes fuel. Excess idling can be controlled by changing operating practices and/or installing idle control technologies.

Click here for EPA's list of specific technologies and vendors. Note that EPA does not certify technologies and that this may not be a comprehensive list. A list of locations that have truck stop electrification available can be found at the following Web site - U.S. DOE Alternative Fuel and Advanced Vehicles Data Center.

Act 124 states that "An owner or operator of a location where subject vehicles load or unload or a location that provides 15 or more parking spaces for subject vehicles shall erect and maintain a permanent sign." Hence, the act requires the location owner or operator to post, at minimum, one sign to alert drivers of subject vehicles of idling requirements. Owners should be forewarned that it is part of the property owner's responsibility to stop idling on their property. Location owners risk fines if illegal idling is occurring on their property. Therefore, signs should be posted in sufficient quantity and positioned so that drivers are alerted to the restrictions placed on idling. There is no maximum number of signs location owners are permitted to post.

While Act 124 prohibits localities from new idling restrictions, persons subject to the act are still responsible for complying with previously established idling restrictions in the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia regions. See the links below to the local regulations.

The ACHD regulation is still on the books but has been determined to be not 'more restrictive than' the provisions of Act 124, relating to Section 9 of Act 124. ACHD will not be enforcing the ACHD regulation and does not have the authority to enforce Act 124. ACHD staff will provide compliance assistance and referrals to PA DEP for enforcement of Act 124.

If a citizen believes that a diesel-powered motor vehicle is idling illegally, they may call their nearest DEP Regional Office or their local law enforcement agency. The idling restrictions in Pennsylvania are fixed in statute. Therefore, a local law enforcement officer is able to respond to a complaint about illegal idling. DEP Regional Offices can be reached by calling the statewide Citizen's Complaint Line toll free at 1-866-255-5158. Local law enforcement non-emergency numbers can be found in the local phonebook.

The trucking industry is a critical part of the economy, transporting 71.6 percent of U.S. goods totaling $10.4 trillion. But trucks are also a significant source of pollution, having emitted seven percent of U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2020. Electric trucks can reduce GHG emissions while also providing other benefits, including better safety and improved public health. Major fleets have committed to transitioning at least 30% of their new heavy-duty truck purchases to be zero-emission vehicles, including electric models, by 2030. But many companies are daunted by the extra upfront cost of electric trucks, as well as challenges like the limited availability of chargers. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) will help address these challenges, and bring forward the cost parity of electric and diesel trucks. The benefits of electric trucks, increased availability of more makes and models, investments in charging infrastructure, the rapid improvement of the upfront and long-term economics, and policy incentives all point to a near-term boom in their adoption. This fact sheet will focus on electric semi-trucks, although many of its findings apply to electric trucks in general.

Upfront Costs: Absent incentives, electric semi-trucks currently cost up to 2.8 times more to purchase than their diesel counterparts. Falling battery costs and growing manufacturing scale will reduce this upfront cost differential over time.

Range: At first glance, conventional trucks have a substantial advantage when it comes to range. They can travel up to 2,000 miles without refueling, compared to up to 500 miles for current electric semi-trucks. But because long-haul truck drivers are required to take breaks, these rest periods could be used to recharge electric truck batteries. Within a 24-hour period, truckers are allowed to drive a maximum of 11 hours, with a mandatory 30-minute break after eight consecutive hours of driving. That translates to an average range of 500 to 715 miles a day. Charging during mandatory breaks and during loading times allows electric semi-trucks to maintain efficient schedules.

Charging Network: There are 6,700 public DC (direct current) fast-charging stations in the United States, but most only serve passenger vehicles. The absence of a widespread heavy-duty truck charging network limits electric trucks primarily to regional hub-and-spoke routes with centralized private chargers at warehouses and other trucking depots.

Inflation Reduction Act: Under the IRA, fleet operators can qualify for up to $40,000 in tax credits for each electric truck heavier than 14,000 pounds placed into service. The law also includes a $1 billion Clean Heavy Duty Vehicle Program to provide funding to states, municipalities, tribes, and nonprofit school transportation associations to electrify heavy-duty fleets. An RMI analysis found that the IRA will bring forward cost-parity between electric and diesel semi-trucks for short- and long-haul applications. The IRA also extended the 30 percent tax credit for electric vehicle supply equipment and increased the commercial cap to $100,000 per charger.

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program requires states to make plans to build public charging stations every 50 miles along alternative fuel corridors. The bill also funds research, demonstration, and deployment for low- and zero-emission transportation options, as well as expanded electric vehicle charging infrastructure (including for heavy-duty vehicles).

Several Class 8 heavy-duty electric semi-trucks (weighing more than 33,000 pounds when fully loaded with cargo) are already available in the United States. Some of these semi-trucks are better suited to regional routes rather than long-haul routes that exceed 250 miles. Thanks to improvements in technology, models with larger battery capacities (and more range) do not necessarily take longer to recharge. Manufacturers recommend fast-charging a battery to between 70 and 90% capacity, because charging rates slow down drastically past that point.

3a8082e126