California is joining with seven other states to develop an action plan to put hundreds of thousands more zero-emission trucks and buses on the roads. This new medium- and heavy-duty vehicle collaborative effort will be implemented through the multi-state ZEV Task Force, and will be facilitated by the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM).
The states joining California are Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Participating states have already introduced several programs to encourage adoption of medium- and heavy-duty EVs. California has invested nearly $1 billion in cap-and-trade proceeds in a variety of demonstration and pilot projects to accelerate and promote the commercialization of zero- and near-zero medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses.
Other states are providing incentives for zero-emission freight trucks, transit buses, and school buses, and/or introducing electric shuttle and urban buses into transit fleets. Still others are allocating Volkswagen settlement funds toward medium- and heavy-duty electrification.
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes said, “Many communities in Connecticut are located near major trucking routes, ports, and other trucking hubs and are particularly vulnerable to the harmful health impacts of air pollution from diesel trucks and further contributing to the climate crisis. As the federal government continues to ignore the public health of our citizens and the impacts of climate change, state leadership in pursuit of decarbonizing the transportation sector is needed now more than ever.”
Source: California Air Resources Board