EPA Finalizes Heavy Duty Vehicle Emissions Rule
The Environmental Protection Agency has finalized a regulation aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from heavy-duty vehicles, including delivery trucks, refuse haulers, and tractors like day cabs and sleeper cabs on tractor-trailer trucks. These requirements will phase in from model year 2027 to model year 2032.
As with the EPA’s recent rule regarding GHG emissions from cars, (read about that policy here), this regulation does not explicitly require a move to electric vehicles, but sets strict limits on allowable emissions from these vehicles in a way that is likely to push manufacturers to move in the direction of electric vehicles, or to embrace hybrid or fuel cell options. Indeed, the rule said, “The standards are technology-neutral and performance-based, allowing each manufacturer to choose what set of emissions control technologies is best suited to meet the standards and the needs of their customers.” The EPA added, “This means that the standards can be met with a diverse range of heavy-duty vehicle technologies, including advanced internal combustion engine vehicles, hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, battery electric vehicles, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.”
For heavy-duty vocational vehicles like delivery trucks, refuse haulers, and public utility trucks, the new standards vary according to vehicle type and are up to 60 percent stronger than the previous standards for model year 2032. For tractors such as day cabs and sleeper cabs on tractor-trailer trucks, the new standards also vary according to vehicle type, but are up to 40 percent stronger than the previous standards for model year 2032.
Read the full final rule here. Access a fact sheet explaining the regulation here.
According to The Hill, EPA officials would not say what percentage of new heavy-duty truck sales could be expected to be electric under the rule, but a possible scenario outlined in the rule indicates that, in 2032, sales of medium heavy-duty trucks could be 40 percent electric and sales of heavy heavy-duty trucks could be 30 percent electric.
This regulation already faces opposition in Congress. Sens. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), along with Reps. John James (R-Mich.) and Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho), have promised to introduce legislation to try to repeal it. The final regulation also could be challenged in the federal court.
Stay tuned to Connecting the Dots as this story develops.