California air regulators have voted to ban diesel truck sales by 2036 in a move that will impact how its ports operate and drive up costs for consumers.
The California Air Resources Board unanimously approved the "Advanced Clean Fleets" measure on Friday, prohibiting the sale of new diesel trucks by 2036 and forcing trucks to produce zero emissions by 2042.
New commercial trucks, including garbage removal trucks, delivery trucks, and other medium to heavy-duty model vehicles, would need to convert to electric under the rule, CNBC reported.
"The initial focus would be on high-priority fleets with vehicles that are suitable for early electrification, their sub-hauliers, and entities that hire them," the government website outlining the program states.
"The goal of this effort is to accelerate the number of medium and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicle purchases to achieve a full transition to zero-emission vehicles in California as soon as possible."
The adoption of the new regulation must still be approved or rejected by President Joe Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency.
Local critics have claimed that the decision will be costly and burdensome for the trucking sector, which currently does not have any infrastructure in place for zero-emission trucks.
Trucks that transport cargo to and from major ports must be electric by 2035, and new vehicle purchases must be zero-emission by 2024.
The American Trucking Association (ATA) slammed the decision, saying that cargo trucks are significantly more expensive and that "charging and refuelling infrastructure is non-existent."
Truckers warned that the cost of transitioning to electric vehicles will be passed on to consumers.
"As it becomes clear that California’s rhetoric is not being matched by technology, we hope the board will reverse course and allow trucking companies the freedom to chose the clean technologies that work best for their operations," ATA president and CEO Chris Spear said.
