California recently announced that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted on its Advanced Clean Fleets rule, and the vote to finalize it was unanimous. The new rule will essentially ban the sale of all diesel-powered medium- and heavy-duty fleet vehicles beginning in 2036. At that time, all new sales and registrations will need to be zero-emission vehicles.
California continues to push the envelope when it comes to rules and regulations to help the environment. It was recently announced that the state has a new goal to ban all new gas passenger car sales starting in 2035.
The state's previous target for banning the sales of diesel trucks was set at 2040, so now it's even more aggressive. California's Governor Gavin Newsom has vowed to move the state to 100% zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles by 2045. That said, banning diesel truck sales sooner may make it a bit easier to reach his goal.
It's important to note that, just like California's gas car ban target, there are many very specific rules related to such legislation, and it's all very complicated. There will certainly be wiggle room and loopholes. However, to be very clear, none of these are actual, official "bans," and they're not going to take away peoples' cars or companies' diesel trucks or other equipment.
Instead, to work toward the larger goal of transitioning an entire fleet to zero-emission vehicles, there arguably has to come a point when the production and sale of new gas-powered vehicles comes to an end. Eventually, the older gas-powered vehicles will be replaced by a zero-emission vehicles, thus slowly making the transition happen.
According to Electrek, California's diesel truck ban won't just suddenly take effect in 2036. Rather, there are steps along the way. By 2024, 50% of state and local government agency vehicle purchases will have to be zero-emission vehicles. This number bumps up to 100% by 2027.
With the new rules in place, California estimates that about half of all semi-trucks on its highways with by zero-emission by 2035. By 2042, California puts this figure at 70%. If all goes as planned, the state should hit 100% by 2045.
This new legislation in California is the strictest of its kind across the globe, and the first to aim to ban diesel trucks. We can only hope the world is watching and others will follow suit. Let us know your thoughts on this in the comment section below.
