Trucks Clips: September 20, 2024

 

 

Chart: Which States Have The Most Electric School Buses? — “It’s back-to-school season in the U.S., and more students than ever are headed to class on electric, emissions-free, battery-powered buses. Here are the states where EV school buses are truly on a roll, per a new PIRG analysis of World Resources Institute (WRI) data. Electric school buses are a crucial tool for cleaning up transportation, the single largest source of carbon pollution in the country. They’re also an important public health intervention: Conventional diesel-powered school buses expose children to levels of air pollution that can cause respiratory harm and weaken cognitive performance. Thanks to the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, school districts across the country are now receiving federal funding to swap out their dirty diesel buses for shiny new battery-powered models. To date, the Environmental Protection Agency, which administers this program, has awarded nearly $3 billion to fund around 8,500 EV school buses at 1,000 schools. It plans to spend up to $5 billion when all is said and done.” [Canary Media, 9/20/24 (+)]

 

Biden-Harris' Taxpayer-Funded Electric School Bus Program Is 'Enriching' The CCP: House Report — “Lawmakers are claiming the Biden-Harris administration’s billion dollar clean bus project is promoting reliance on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in a new scathing report that details the taxpayer-funded price tag for the energy initiative. The Biden administration authorized the Clean School Bus Program in 2021, which appropriated $5 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to incentivize the replacement of school buses with ‘clean’ alternatives. The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations released a 51-page report on the project, reviewed by Fox News Digital, that highlighted the push for electric school buses over ‘cheaper’ low-emissions alternatives and how ‘vulnerabilities for waste, fraud, and abuse riddle this program.’ ‘Costly subsidies for ESBs are a poor use of federal taxpayer money at a time when school budgets are increasingly strained,’ the report said. ‘Currently, it is only the existence of massive taxpayer-funded subsidies that enables ESBs to compete with diesel buses and low emission buses in the market.’” [Fox News, 9/19/24 (-)]

 

 

General Motor Co. (GM)

 

GM Asks Full 6th Circ. To Rehear Truck Emissions Fraud Suit — “General Motors LLC is asking the full Sixth Circuit for an en banc rehearing of a split decision that revived state law claims from four plaintiffs who alleged that GM misleadingly marked Chevrolet Silverado and Sierra vehicles as being more environmentally friendly than they were. In a petition filed Wednesday, GM argued the panel majority effectively nullified recent precedent by holding that claims by Phillip Burns, Nancy Anderton, Mike Bulaon and Taylor Pantel over the marketing of the Duramax diesel engine trucks did not implicate the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate emissions because those claims concerned marketing materials. Instead, GM wrote, the full court should take up the case and adopt the reasoning of the dissent by U.S. Circuit Judge Raymond M. Kethledge, who wrote that the facts here present an open-and-shut case for preemption. The initial appeal concerned U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Ludington’s dismissal of the claims, after he found that federal law preempted the state law claims. The Sixth Circuit in August reversed that order in a 2-1 decision, finding the suit involves ‘fraud on the consumer’ claims that are not impliedly preempted by the Clean Air Act.” [Law360, 9/20/24 (=)]

 

Hyzon Motors, Inc.

 

Hyzon Begins Production Of Class 8 200kw Fuel Cell Electric Truck — “Hyzon has announced the start of production of its Class 8 200kW Fuel Cell Electric Truck (FCET). Through its collaboration with North Carolina-based Fontaine Modification, the company will begin production of its 200kW FCET. ‘Today marks the beginning of a new chapter for ‘hard-to-decarbonize’ heavy-duty industries, as Hyzon sets the standard for high-performance, zero-emission alternatives to diesel,’ Hyzon Chief Executive Officer Parker Meeks said. ‘Our Class 8 200kW FCET is the culmination of years of engineering, and today we are proud to announce it has evolved from a prototype to a vehicle ready for full production, empowering fleet operators to reduce emissions without sacrificing power, range, or reliability.’ With the finalization of its first 200kW Class 8 vehicle built using production parts and processes, Hyzon’s Class 8 truck platform now transitions from prototype to series production. The company said this milestone comes as Hyzon expects to declare the start of production on its single-stack 200kW Fuel Cell System (FCS) at its Bolingbrook facility in the next few weeks.” [The Buzz EV News, 9/18/24 (-)]

 

 

PepsiCo

 

PepsiCo Looks to Scale Tesla Semi EV Operations Beyond California — “Pepsico and Tesla took advantage of the main stage at the 2024 IAA commercial vehicle show in Germany on Sept. 17. The session focused on giving attendees an update on the deployment of Tesla Semi truck fleet operations. Pepsico electrification program manager Dejan Antunovic and Dan Priestley, senior manager, Semi, for Tesla, started off by discussing both the benefits and challenges of electrifying PepsiCo’s heavy-duty fleet. Antunovic noted that Pepsico’s initial project began in 2018-2019, focusing on sustainability and cost reduction, and has now blossomed to include15 Tesla Semis in Modesto, 21 in Sacramento, and 50 in Fresno. On average, he said, the trucks are achieving 0.8 kWh/km efficiency. ‘It’s been a journey for us,’ Antunovic said. ‘And we are now seeing electrification of the fleet provide a lower cost solution over time. The great thing is how well that has gone with heavy-duty electric trucks. We started with one site. And now we have begun to scale our operations. Now it’s time to scale that across different geographies in North America.’” [Heavy-Duty Trucking, 9/20/24 (=)]

 

 

 

 

California

 

Dozens Of States Urge EPA To Deny California Waiver Making Out-Of-State Trucks Comply With Electric Mandate — “Twenty-four states signed onto a formal ‘comment letter’ to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), asking it to deny California a waiver that would allow Sacramento to compel visiting truckers to conform to its stringent emissions standards. Any trucking company with 50 or more vehicles or $50 million in gross annual revenue would fall under the provisions that compel them to begin replacing their fleets with electric rigs in 2025. The rules will apply to California trucks and those with out-of-state tags that operate in the Golden State for at least one day per year while meeting the above attributes. West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said in a statement the move would unfairly give California ‘a slice of sovereign authority’ over other states and highlighted how Mountaineers rely heavily on big rig commerce in their rugged, landlocked state. Nearly 85% of Mountaineer communities rely on trucks to deliver their goods, and the state has spent millions to expand its Robert C. Byrd Appalachian Highway System by creating wide, multi-lane trucking routes that carve through topography otherwise steep, windy and unsafe for tractor-trailers.” [Fox News, 9/18/24 (-)]

 

Alabama Attorney General Files Comments To Stop California’s Electric Truck Mandate — “Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is joining a comment letter asking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deny California’s waiver request for its ‘Advanced Clean Fleets’ regulation. The new rule attempts to impose an electric truck mandate on fleet owners, operators and manufacturers, according to the office of Attorney General Marshall. This includes trucking companies that drive one truck for as little as one day per year in California. The 24-State coalition argues that the EPA should not allow California to exceed its statutory and regulatory authority by implementing an electric vehicle (EV) mandate that is sure to disrupt the logistics and transportation industries nationwide. ‘As businesses flee California, the state is now trying to extend its tyrannical reach beyond its borders and illegally force companies across the nation to comply with its electric vehicle mandates. These policies are out of touch with consumers and companies, who will face direct and disastrous costs that will impact the economy nationwide,’ said Attorney General Marshall in a press release.” [Alabama Public Radio, 9/19/24 (=)]

 

Attorneys General From 24 States Oppose California’s ‘Electric Truck Mandate’ — “This week, Attorneys General from two dozen states joined forces to oppose California regulations that would impose an electric truck mandate ‘that is sure to disrupt the Nation’s logistics and transportation industries.’ On September 16, Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers led a 24-state coalition of Attorney’s General asking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to block what they describe as California’s overreach of authority in imposing increasingly stringent emissions standards on commercial vehicles. The Attorneys General have asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to maintain a federal legal block on California’s Advanced Clean Fleets regulation that they say would amount to an electric truck mandate and an eventual ban on diesel-powered commercial vehicles. California requested a waiver from the EPA that would allow it to set emissions standards because the Clean Air Act currently states that only the federal government has the authority to set those standards. The EPA is currently accepting comments on the waiver request.” [CDL Life, 9/18/24 (=)]

 

AG Miyares Urges EPA To Stop California’s Electric-Truck Mandate — “Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares joined a comment letter urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to maintain a federal legal block on California’s Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulation. The regulation, which stems from a 2020 executive order signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom, attempts to force an electric-truck mandate on fleet owners, operators, and manufacturers—even trucking companies that operate in California as little as one day per year. ‘California is playing games with America’s livelihood. This mandate doesn’t just affect California—it weaponizes the state’s massive ports to force the entire nation to bow to an extreme environmental agenda,’ said Attorney General Miyares. ‘California’s so-called ‘in-state’ ban is nothing more than an export of California’s economic chaos, creating real harm across American industries and raising costs for families everywhere. The federal government should not preference California to the detriment of the other 49 states.’” [Emporia Independent Messenger, 9/19/24 (=)]

 

ATA Urges EPA To Reject California’s Advanced Clean Fleets Rule — “On Monday, the American Trucking Association (ATA) filed comments with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency deriding California’s Advanced Clean Fleets Rule as ‘ill-conceived’ and ‘unattainable.’ According to information on the Federal Register, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) notified the EPA it had adopted the Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulations earlier this year. Those regulations would apply to state and local government fleets, drayage truck fleets, federal agency fleets and large commercial fleets that own, lease or operate on-road medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, and light-duty package delivery vehicles, and require those vehicles to incorporate zero-emitting vehicles into the fleets beginning in 2024. The ACF regulations also require all new California-certified medium- and heavy-duty vehicle sales be zero-emitting vehicles starting in 2036. In its public comments to the EPA, the ATA said the rule would disrupt the supply chain, calling the rule complex and capricious. ‘ATA remains adamantly opposed to California’s ill-conceived, unattainable regulation,’ ATA President & CEO Chris Spear said. ‘This destructive rule sets wildly unrealistic targets and timelines that are already creating confusion on the West Coast and threaten to cause severe disruptions to our supply chain nationwide.’” [Transportation Today, 9/18/24 (=)]

 

ATA Maintains Fight Against California's Fleets Rule — “In a new round of written comments, American Trucking Associations is among a group of trade organizations that continue to oppose a request for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to grant a waiver allowing implementation of California’s Advanced Clean Fleets regulation that would transition fleets to electric trucks. ‘ATA remains adamantly opposed to California’s ill-conceived, unattainable regulation,’ ATA President Chris Spear said in a Sept. 16 statement. ‘This destructive rule sets wildly unrealistic targets and timelines that are already creating confusion on the West Coast and threaten to cause severe disruptions to our supply chain nationwide.’ Spear said under the Clean Air Act, EPA is obligated to consider California’s request in light of the available technology and the ability of fleets to comply with the regulatory requirements. In the past, EPA has consistently approved California Air Resources Board waivers.” [Transport Topics, 9/18/24 (=)]

 

Coalition Of AGs Working To Stop California Electric-Truck Mandate — “West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey recently joined a multistate comment letter asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to maintain a federal legal block on California’s Advanced Clean Fleets regulation. The California regulation attempts to impose an electric-truck mandate on fleet owners, operators, and manufacturers — including trucking companies that drive one truck for as little as one day per year in the state. Morrisey and the rest of the 24-state coalition argue that the EPA should not allow California to exceed its statutory and regulatory authority by implementing an electric-vehicle mandate that is sure to disrupt the nation’s logistics and transportation industries. ‘This ‘authority’ leaves California with a slice of its sovereign authority that Congress withdraws from every other state,’ Morrisey said. ‘This radical climate agenda the Biden-Harris administration continues to shove into hardworking Americans’ throats will cause massive job losses, increase costs and devastate the demand for liquid fuels, such as biodiesel.’” [West Virginia Record, 9/19/24 (=)]

 

Massachusetts

 

Winthrop Electric Buses Sidelined After Recall — “Lion Electric has recalled a part on its electric school buses, four of which are stationed at the Winthrop Public Schools. The school buses were awarded to the schools through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program and almost immediately started to show issues before they were temporarily taken off the road by the Maine Department of Education due to defects. The recall, issued July 29, is for the buses’ CAN Connector, which according to Lion Electric is subject to water leaking into the system. Water leakage into the CAN Connector can cause a short-circuit that could lead to a loss of communication with the high-voltage battery and deactivation of the high-voltage distribution. If that happens, it leads to the loss of steering assistance and compromises the vehicle’s braking system. ‘Once the part has arrived, we are going to test drive them and once it’s installed, we are going to drive the buses for two weeks out of extreme caution before we put them back on the road with students on them,’ Foley said Thursday. Foley told the school board that the parts to fix the four vehicles were expected to arrive Monday or Tuesday, but had not arrived as of Thursday morning. ‘We have enough other buses in the fleet,’ Foley said, so transportation will not be disrupted as the buses are tested.” [Lewiston Sun Journal, 9/19/24 (=)]

 

Missouri

 

KY3 Digital Extra: The Future Of Missouri’s EV Charging Network — “Ameren Missouri has about $700,000 left in its program to help businesses install EV Charging stations. The applications are due by September 30. The program shares the cost with customers planning to install EV charging stations at multifamily locations or for public use. The Charge Ahead program is open to most Ameren business customers. The maximum benefit is 50% of the total cost of installation. Although Ameren notes, ‘By leveraging these incentives alongside federal tax credits, such as the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit, eligible customers can save up to 80% off project costs.’ MoDOT is also working with money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to add even more stations in the state. ‘When we look into the future and think about a charging network that’s really built out along Missouri’s highway corridors,’ says Business Development Manager Becky Whitman of Ameren Missouri. ‘It not only enables Missourians to travel in EVs around our state but also visitors to our state, you know, thinking the Lake of the Ozarks.’” [KY3, 9/18/24 (=)]

 

New York

 

All Central New York School Districts Eligible For Funding Towards Electric Bus Fleet — “By 2027, any new school buses purchased in the state of New York will have to be zero emissions and by 2035, the school bus fleet statewide should be all-electric. A deadline weighing heavy on many Central New York school districts. Charging ahead: Answering your questions about NY’s transition to electric school buses ‘This is a big deal,’ said Barry Carr, Executive Director of Clean Communities of CNY, at a public information meeting this Thursday. ‘I’d like to say it’s easy, fairly easy at the beginning but overall converting the fleet is going to require a lot of change.’ ‘Electric school buses are cheaper to maintain and operate,’ said Nina Haiman, a representative from New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). ‘That’s one of the benefits of an electric school bus compared to a diesel or gasoline bus.’” [CNY Central, 9/19/24 (=)]

 

Utah

 

Salt Lake Leads Out With Electric School Buses — “More students than ever are headed to class on an electric school bus this fall as school districts race to take advantage of unprecedented government funding to replace their diesel fleets. The intrigue: Salt Lake City School District has been held up as a model for transitioning to electric buses — with an eye to equity. Why it matters: Exhaust from diesel buses is linked to serious health and development conditions for children, especially in low-income communities. The growing electric bus movement, fueled by a plethora of state and federal incentives, promises to reduce tailpipe emissions and improve kids’ health, too. Electric school buses can also act as giant batteries to store surplus energy when not in use. That means cash-strapped districts can earn money from their parked buses by selling power back to the grid during times of peak demand. Zoom in: Salt Lake City used a combination of state and federal funding to buy 12 electric buses, deployed mostly in Rose Park. The neighborhood is less affluent and suffers disproportionately from poor air quality. The latest: More Salt Lake City kids need transportation following the closure of four elementary schools this fall.” [Axios, 9/19/24 (=)]

 

Wisconsin

 

Madison Receives Wisconsin’s First Electric Refuse Trucks — “The City of Madison officially received two Mack LR Electric Class 8 refuse trucks during an event on Sept. 17. The city’s LR Electric trucks are the first fully electric refuse trucks in Wisconsin. Madison received a copper-colored LR Electric with a Leach rear-loader and a blue-colored LR Electric with a Labrie Automated Side Loader. The city demonstrated the ASL in action. During the event, Kriete Truck Centers and Mack Trucks officially handed over the two trucks to the City of Madison. The trucks began operating on Madison’s East side in July. The city covers its two new trucks under a standard service maintenance agreement with Mack. The Mack Ultra Service Maintenance Agreement, standard on LR Electric models, includes scheduled and preventive maintenance, towing and repair, battery monitoring, and connected uptime services. The city’s mayor, Satya Rhodes-Conway, did not disclose how much the city paid for the trucks during the event but noted that the city did not receive state grants for the purchase. According to Wisconsin Public Radio, the side-loader and rear-loder trucks cost $611,000 and $544,000, respectively.” [FleetOwner, 9/19/24 (=)]

 

 

 

 

 

 

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