Congress

 

Q&A: Sen. Tom Carper — “[Politico:] You’ve returned to chair the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. What are your priorities for this year, and what do you hope to accomplish? [Carper:] [The president] a number of times in the [State of the Union] speech talked about finishing what we’ve begun. ... It’s one thing to pass legislation and it’s one thing to appropriate money. It’s another thing to make sure that the intent of the legislation is actually carried out. I’ll give you an example: We included environmental justice provisions — funded, I think some would say, fairly generously across the country and through a number of programs. We have the Port of Wilmington [in Delaware] — it’s a vibrant port, a lot of jobs, probably the biggest blue-collar employer in our state by far. But there’s a lot of trucks, diesel trucks that come in and out and there’s a lot of diesel emissions that come out of boats themselves that come in and out of our port. There are things we can do in our legislation in terms of reducing emissions on corridors where there’s a lot of pollution, bad air or bad water. And I want to make sure [states and local governments] are using the money for that which was intended. And as it turns out, some probably aren’t.” [Politico, 2/14/23 (+)]

 

 

Manufacturers, Fleets, & OEMs

 

Ford Motor Co.

 

Ford Halts Production Of Electric Pickup Over Battery Issue — “Ford Motor has stopped production and shipments of its electric pickup truck, the F-150 Lightning, while it looks into a potential problem with the vehicle’s battery pack. ‘As part of our predelivery quality inspections, a vehicle displayed a potential battery issue and we are holding vehicles while we investigate,’ the company said Tuesday in a statement. ‘We are not aware of any incidences of this issue in the field.’ The F-150 Lightning was introduced last year and is one of the most prominent vehicles Ford has added to its lineup in decades. The automaker has been hoping to ramp up production and establish a firm lead in electric pickups, which have the potential to become a large and lucrative segment of the E.V. market. Faults in high-voltage automotive batteries can cause overheating and intense fires that can take hours to put out. For several months in 2021 and 2022, General Motors had to stop producing and shipping its Chevrolet Bolt electric compact after a manufacturing glitch was found to have caused a number of fires. G.M. corrected the problem, replaced the battery packs in all the Bolts it made from 2017 to 2021 and resumed production last year.” [The New York Times, 2/14/23 (=)]

 

Ford Stops Lightning Build As Engineers Struggle With Battery, No Restart Date — “The bestselling all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning was not being built Tuesday at the Rouge site in Dearborn because production has been stopped while engineers try to determine what’s causing a battery problem, Ford spokeswoman Emma Bergg confirmed to the Detroit Free Press on Tuesday. She disclosed that the high-tech plant, built and designed specifically for this high-profile vehicle, has been out of production for a week now as the team tries to figure out the issue. Bergg declined to discuss the battery matter in detail. The vehicle is officially a ‘stop build’ and ‘stop ship’ situation. While there is no stop sale of current vehicles on dealer lots, new vehicles are not being shipped to Ford dealers at this time, Bergg said. Ford cannot say when production will restart, Bergg told the Free Press. She declined to provide the number of vehicles not built since the production stoppage. Meanwhile, Ford already has a long waiting list for Lightning orders.” [Detroit Free Press, 2/14/23 (=)]

 

Ford Halts Production Of Electric F-150 Because Of Possible Battery Issue — “Ford has halted production of the top-selling electric pickup in America, the F-150 Lightning, because of a possible battery problem, the automaker confirmed Tuesday. The potential issue was discovered during the company’s pre-delivery vehicles inspections, Ford spokesperson Emma Berg said. The pause in production and delivery apparently does not apply to trucks that are already at dealerships ready to be delivered or to trucks already with customers. Ford did not provide any information about what the battery-related issue might be, its possible cause or potential consequences. Ford has sold 18,000 Lightning pickups since production started in the spring of 2022.” [CNN, 2/14/23 (=)]

 

Ford Reportedly Issues Stop-Build For F-150 Lightning Due To Battery Issue — “Production for the Ford F-150 Lightning is currently on pause due to a stop-build and stop-ship order issued by Ford, Motor Authority reported today. The exact cause of the pause isn’t clear yet, but a Ford spokesperson told Motor Authority that the orders were given ‘due to a potential battery issue.’ We reached out to Ford with questions and a spokesperson confirmed the news, adding that the company is not currently aware of any incidences in the field regarding the issue. As of now, the Ford spokesperson has only said that the issue was identified during Ford’s ‘pre-delivery quality inspections.’ The spokesperson goes on to say that ‘a vehicle displayed a potential battery issue, and we are holding vehicles while we investigate.’ Additionally, Motor Authority reports that there is no stop-sale order for already-built Lightnings sitting on dealer lots, leaving those models clear for delivery to customers.” [Autoblog, 2/14/23 (=)]

 

Ford F-150 Lightning Under A Stop Build, Stop Ship Order — “Ford has shut down production and shipping of the F-150 Lightning electric truck, citing a battery issue. The automaker is currently investigating a potential problem with the battery, although it said there have been no accidents or injuries associated with it in customer use. There is no timeline for when production of the highly popular EV will resume, Ford said.” [Car and Driver, 2/14/23 (=)]

 

Ford Pauses F-150 Production Due To Battery Issues —“Ford has paused production of its all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck and deliveries of new vehicles due to a possible problem with the battery. However, there is currently no sales stop. According to a Ford spokesperson, the potential battery problem was identified during quality checks prior to delivery. Ford is not yet giving details of the nature of the problem. However, it says that the company is not aware of any incidents related to the potential problem in Ford-owned vehicles and customer-owned electric pickup trucks.” [Electrive, 2/15/23 (=)]

 

Stellantis

 

Ram Presents Their First Electric Pickup — “Ram Truck, the US commercial vehicle subsidiary of the Stellantis Group, unveiled the design of the production version of its electric pickup truck ‘Ram 1500 REV’ during the Super Bowl. Ram is also now accepting pre-orders for the 1500 REV, which is scheduled to hit the US market in 2024. Ram unveiled the electric pickup truck as a concept vehicle in January. For the moment, the brand continues to hold back on technical details.” [Electrive, 2/14/23 (=)]

 

 

Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles

 

Saving Fuel: It's A Good Thing — “I was thinking about fuel lately, more specifically about something that Henry Albert, who is the owner of Albert Transport and one of the participants in Run on Less 2017, said in the finale video for the event. If you recall, the seven trucks in the Run averaged 10.1 mpg during the three weeks they were on the road. Here’s what Henry said: ‘At the end of the day, if we burn less fuel, that is a good thing.’ And Henry is right, burning less fuel is a good thing for several reasons. In addition to saving fleets money, burning less fuel is good for the environment. Burning less fuel is, in fact, decarbonizing trucking. And we need to continue to make strides in that direction. Thinking about fuel savings also got me to pondering our most recent Annual Fleet Fuel Study (AFFS). One of the things we found in doing our research for the study was that there was a jump in the national average mpg figure for all heavy-duty combination tractors from the 2019 study to our most recent study published in 2022.The 2019 study data showed 5.98 mpg as the average for all fleets, while in 2022 that number was 6.24 mpg.” [Fleet Owner, 2/15/23 (+)]

 

Moving Into A Cleaner Transportation Future — “It seems as if the trucking industry is in another transformative period. This time the transformation is to the more sustainable movement of goods. A combination of both regulatory and social pressures is causing fleets to examine the types of equipment they are running as well as their internal operations. I am hearing that in some requests for proposals, shippers are asking questions about fleets’ efforts to reduce their carbon footprint and improve their fuel efficiency. In addition, we now have the first-ever blueprint to decarbonize transportation that is a strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from trucking by 2050. On top of that, it is very likely that there will be one—if not two—increases in the upfront cost of diesel-powered equipment as truck makers make changes to the engine in order to meet upcoming Environmental Protection Agency regulations for further emissions reductions. There are a variety of options available to fleets when it comes to cleaner powertrain options. We need to remember that this transformation to a cleaner transportation future will not take place overnight, but that does not mean we should just continue with the status quo.” [Fleet Owner, 2/14/23 (+)]

 

Take Time To Test, Before Investing, In The Future — “The U.S. electrical grid isn’t ready to support the entire trucking industry. But that’s no reason not to get a feel for what the future of transportation is shaping up to be as regulators and others push the freight industry to be cleaner and more efficient. ‘I’ve been in this industry 37 years, and clean and efficient has always been part of trucking,’ Michael Roeth, executive director of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency, said while moderating a panel on the topic at Manifest Vegas on Feb. 1. ‘We work hard to move goods—not only on time and at cost—but we’ve always had this clean-and-efficient thing that drives us.’ It’s mostly large fleets that are getting deeper into zero- and near-zero emission technologies that are emerging in North America. PepsiCo, one of the largest private fleets in the U.S., made mainstream headlines late last year when it became the first fleet to get two electric Class 8 trucks from Tesla. Those EVs operate with others out of the company’s high-tech Frito-Lay facility in Modesto, California. PepsiCo is nearly finished transforming the 80-acre site with sustainable manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution technologies, it announced in January.” [Fleet Owner, 2/14/23 (+)]

 

With Growing EV Adoption, Car Haulers Call For Higher Weight Limits — “A coalition consisting of car haulers, vehicle and trailer manufacturers and more last week penned a letter to members of Congress seeking increased weight limits for car haulers transporting electric vehicles. The Coalition for Electric Vehicle Transportation (CEVT) said one of the only things Congress did not address in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act related to electric vehicles was the actual transportation of those vehicles. ‘In short, electric vehicles are heavier than their gas-powered counterparts and federal truck weight laws -- unchanged in 40 years -- reduce electric vehicle load capacity by as much as 28%,’ the coalition said. CEVT asked members of Congress for targeted legislation that would increase gross vehicle weight limits for stinger-steered auto haulers by 10% (8,000 pounds), while capping single and tandem axle groups at a 10% increase. ‘Despite our best efforts and decades of innovation, industry has been unable to resolve this issue on its own,’ CEVT said. ‘Trailer manufacturers have already removed as much trailer weight as they can without jeopardizing the structural integrity of the trailer itself, and automobile carriers have explored different vehicle configurations. In other words, we are coming to Congress as a last resort, not a first step.’” [Overdrive, 2/14/23 (=)]

 

Coalition Makes Push To Increase Weight Limits For Vehicle Transporters —“A coalition of automobile carriers and dealers is asking lawmakers to increase gross vehicle weight limits for vehicle transporters. The Coalition for Electric Vehicle Transportation – which includes the American Trucking Associations’ Automobile Carriers Conference, the Auto Haulers Association of America, the Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association and several major car dealers – says the increase is necessary because electric vehicles are heavier than gas-powered cars. On Feb. 7, the coalition wrote a letter to Senate and House transportation leaders asking for an increase to the weight limits. ‘The solution is targeted legislation that would increase gross vehicle weight limits for stinger-steered automobile transporters by 10%, which is 8,000 pounds, while capping single and tandem axle groups at a 10% increase,’ the coalition wrote. ‘This would allow automobile carriers to regain lost load capacity and reduce annual truck traffic by an estimated 16 million miles, eliminate the consumption of 3.2 million gallons of diesel fuel and prevent 32 metric tons of diesel emissions. This would also ease the truck driver shortage, a figure that sits at 78,000 but is expected to balloon to more than 160,000 by 2031.’” [Land Line, 2/13/23 (=)]

 

 

States & Local

 

Calif. Clean Truck Mandate May Kick In Early — “California would require all new medium- and heavy-duty trucks to be zero emissions in 2036, four years earlier than the current mandate, under a new proposal. Staff at the California Air Resources Board have recommended that the agency amend the Advanced Clean Trucks regulation, which requires manufacturers to sell an increasing percentage of zero-emission trucks in the state starting next year. Right now, the rule sets 2040 as the deadline for when all new truck sales must be zero-emission vehicles. The board is expected to vote on the proposal in April. ‘The emission reductions that we can get by having all ZEV new sales in 2036, as compared to four years later … that’s four years of combustion trucks that will not happen,’ said Bill Magavern, policy director Coalition for Clean Air. The nation’s most populous state has already banned the sale of new gas-fueled passenger cars after 2035. Other states have since adopted California’s mandate. In April, CARB will turn its attention to trucks. It is expected to vote not only on the new proposal for truck sales, but also on a new regulation that would require companies to electrify their truck fleets. That draft mandate would be the first of its kind in the nation, requiring all trucks in company fleets to be zero emission by 2040. Companies would be required to start phasing in electric vehicles as soon as 2024.” [E&E News, 2/15/23 (=)]

 

 

International

 

EU Lawmakers Back Deal To Ban New Combustion-Engine Cars By 2035 — “European Union lawmakers gave their final blessing to a deal that will begin phasing out combustion engine cars in a drastic reshape of the continent’s auto industry. The European Parliament signed off on the deal reached with member states last year, which requires carmakers to reach a zero-emission target by 2035. The agreement requires that they cut pollution by 55% this decade, and forms a key pillar of the bloc’s overall aim of reaching climate neutrality by 2050. ‘These targets create clarity for the car industry and stimulate innovation and investments for car manufacturers,’ said Jan Huitema, the lawmaker responsible for overseeing the file in parliament. ‘Purchasing and driving zero-emission cars will become cheaper for consumers.’ Road transport is one of the most carbon-intensive sectors in the EU, generating about a fifth of the bloc’s emissions. The European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, is set to outline similar rules for heavy-duty vehicles later Tuesday with a plan that falls just shy of a zero-emissions goal by 2040.” [Bloomberg, 2/14/23 (=)]

 

EU Pushes EVs — “The European Parliament’s plenary on Tuesday gave final approval to legislation that will effectively ban the sale of new polluting cars and vans beginning in 2035, Joshua Posaner reports. The file is the first from the Commission’s Fit for 55 package of emissions-slashing measures to pass the final hurdle in the Parliament. Still, some resistance remains amid a contentious debate around EV subsidies in relation to the American bipartisan infrastructure bill, which conditions EV tax credits to cars made with battery critical minerals sourced domestically or from free-trade partners — which the EU is not.” [Politico, 2/15/23 (=)]

 

EU Commission Lays Out New Truck And Bus Emission Targets — “The EU Commission’s expected draft legislation on emissions of heavy goods vehicles has arrived, requiring new trucks to cut emissions by 90% by 2040 and all new city buses to have zero emissions from 2030. Still, the draft falls slightly short of delivering a fully effective ban of ICE trucks. The good news first – the EU Commission proposes that new heavy trucks and buses must cut nearly all CO2 emissions by 2040. The proposal also replaces the EU’s current shorter-term requirement that manufacturers must ensure a 30% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030 compared to 2019/2020 levels. The new interim targets call for reducing tailpipe emissions by 45% by 2030 and 65% by 2035. Moreover, city buses will have to be zero-emission by 2030, with the Commission assuming that the smaller vehicles ‘already account for a considerable share of the new fleet in several Member States’. City buses were also well suited for faster conversion to zero-emission mobility because they run on short, fixed routes and can charge at the depot, so the argument was made in the draft.” [Electrive, 2/14/23 (=)]

 

 

 

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