Health advocates and electric-vehicle companies urged EPA at a public hearing on Wednesday to approve a California clean-trucking regulation — saying it would speed the development of the emissions-free freight industry across the country.
But conventional trucking companies, bus operators and California’s agriculture industry told EPA to wait, saying there aren’t enough electric trucks or heavy-duty chargers for an orderly transition.
The dual messages came during a hearing on California’s proposed Advanced Clean Fleets plan, which requires federal approval.
The plan is designed to phase out older diesel trucks by requiring operators of large fleets to transition to emissions-free vehicles over the next 11 years. It’s intended to work in tandem with a separate effort that will phase out the sale of diesel- and gasoline-powered trucks over the same time frame.
