California Aims to Force Adoption of Electric Trucks, But 19 States Sue to Block

By Steve Goreham

Originally published in Master Resource.

Earlier this year, California passed regulations that would turn the trucking industry upside down. New mandates for zero emissions trucks would disrupt the industry, raise shipping costs, and put trucking companies out of business. A group including 19 states and several trucking organizations recently filed suit to block the California regulation.

California’s Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) Regulation goes into effect on January 1, 2024. The ACF requires that truck operators buy only Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) trucks for medium-duty and heavy-duty trucking operations as early as January 2024. The ACF also requires that trucking companies transition their fleets to 100 percent ZEV trucks by 2035 to 2042, depending upon class of truck.

On November 3, 19 state attorneys general and several trucking organizations filed a brief in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to block ACF. The suit argues that the ACF regulation is unconstitutional and highlights the negative consequences of forced electrification of the heavy truck fleet.

ZEV trucks are plug-in battery electric trucks and hydrogen fuel-cell trucks. The goal of ACF is to remove all trucks with internal combustion engines from California roads by as early as 2035.

According to the regulation, new trucks for drayage, high priority truck fleets, and public fleets must be ZEV trucks as of January. Drayage trucks operate at California ports or transport containerized freight to and from intermodal rail yards. High-priority fleets belong to private companies with more than 50 trucks or over $50 million in annual revenue. Public fleets are owned by state and local governments.

For practical purposes, ACF will require half of all new heavy-duty truck sales to be electric trucks, instead of diesel trucks. Few new trucks would be hydrogen fuel-cell trucks, which are not competitive at this time.

Under the Clean Air Act of 1967, Congress preempted states from adopting emissions standards for motor vehicles. But in Section 209 of the Act, California was permitted to seek a waiver from this preemption. In March of 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency granted a waiver to allow California to establish the ACF emissions standard for heavy trucks. If this waiver stands, the Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation may allow California to try to force a national transition to electric trucks.

The suit filed against Advanced Clean Fleets regulation argues that the EPA should not have granted the waiver. It argues that the ACF crosses state lines, and that California should not be allowed to regulate trucking for the nation.

Eight other states, Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington, have already adopted California’s ACF rules. Another six states are expected to join. But can electric trucks do the job?

Electric trucks suffer major disadvantages when compared to diesel trucks. Diesel trucks can travel about 1200 miles after filling the tank in 15 minutes. The range of electric trucks is about 150-330 miles and recharging may take hours, even on a high-speed charger.

Electric truck cabs cost two to three times as much as diesel cabs, an incremental cost of as much as $300,000 per truck. Electric cabs also weigh about 10,000 pounds more than comparable diesel versions. This can reduce net freight carried by as much as 20 percent.

Few heavy truck charging stations exist, and the power requirements are huge. The new heavy-duty truck charging station in South El Monte, California can charge up to 32 trucks in about 90 minutes. The South El Monte site was funded through the Joint Electric Truck Scaling Initiative, funded by California state and local agencies. But six megawatts of electricity will be needed to simultaneously charge these trucks, more than the power consumed by 200,000 homes or used in a small California city, such as San Bernardino or Huntington Beach.

But the South El Monte site is one of very few heavy truck charging sites. The California Energy Commission estimates that 157,000 medium- and heavy-duty chargers will be required by 2030. If these are built, the peak electricity draw could be as much as an additional 5,000 cities the size of San Bernardino. It’s very unlikely that the California grid could deliver this much power. Heavy duty charging sites would also need to be built all over the nation.

The California Air Resources Board, which established the ACF, claims that the regulation is needed to “protect the public health and welfare of Californians.” But ACF benefits to Californians will be negligible. Particulate air pollution in California has been reduced to such low levels that a single large wildfire exhausts more particulate pollution in a few days than all California vehicles exhaust in an entire year. China emits more greenhouse gases in a day than California trucks emit in a year.

California’s Advanced Clean Fleets regulation, if adopted, will be a disaster for trucking and consumers. The jump in truck costs will put small truckers out of business. Freight delivery times will increase because of long charging times. Longer delivery times and smaller loads will require 20 to 50 percent more trucks to move the same amount of freight.

In 2022, trucks moved 73 percent of US domestic freight. Forced adoption of electric trucks will boost the cost of food, medicines, clothing, and materials for consumers and businesses, put upward pressure on inflation, and provide negligible pollution control benefits. The US Court of Appeals and other states should reject California’s ACF regulation.

Steve Goreham is a speaker on energy, the environment, and public policy and the author of the new bestselling book Green Breakdown: The Coming Renewable Energy Failure.

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Frank from NoVA
November 21, 2023 2:11 pm

‘On November 3, 19 state attorneys general and several trucking organizations filed a brief in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to block ACF.’

Is there any reason to believe that this court isn’t a rubber stamp for the EPA?

Tom Halla
Reply to  Frank from NoVA
November 21, 2023 2:18 pm

I has to go through the DC Circuit to reach the Supreme Court. Roberts will probably wussy out.

Tom Halla
Reply to  Tom Halla
November 21, 2023 2:19 pm

It has to
I miss edit.

tom_gelsthorpe
Reply to  Tom Halla
November 21, 2023 3:30 pm

Why can’t you edit anymore? I miss it, too.

Beta Blocker
Reply to  tom_gelsthorpe
November 21, 2023 3:45 pm

We are now expected do it right the frist time.

Steve Case
Reply to  Beta Blocker
November 21, 2023 7:33 pm

Yes, it’s called personal quality control. Or something like that.

Frank from NoVA
Reply to  Tom Halla
November 21, 2023 2:50 pm

The process is the punishment. Plus full employment for government lawyers.

Tom Halla
Reply to  Frank from NoVA
November 21, 2023 2:58 pm

And employment for term limited state Senators who do not run for federal office on the regulatory boards.

Scarecrow Repair
November 21, 2023 2:15 pm

The jump in truck costs will put small truckers out of business.

Heh. It might not.

High-priority fleets belong to private companies with more than 50 trucks or over $50 million in annual revenue.

Joseph Zorzin
Reply to  Scarecrow Repair
November 21, 2023 2:44 pm

But it might put those with more than 50 trucks out of business!

Scarecrow Repair
Reply to  Joseph Zorzin
November 21, 2023 2:47 pm

They just split up assets into 49 truck companies.

paul courtney
Reply to  Scarecrow Repair
November 21, 2023 3:37 pm

Mr. Repair: Yes, indeed, the smart scarecrows will find the work-arounds. Americans have always had a knack for skirting the law. If CA doesn’t require electric trains, guess where alotta freight will get carried. To Nevada truck terminals.

bnice2000
Reply to  paul courtney
November 21, 2023 3:55 pm

Or someone will set up a few points on the Calistupidia border, where the prime mover can be change to a Calistupidian EV.

Let Calistupidia bear the WHOLE cost.

bnice2000
Reply to  bnice2000
November 21, 2023 3:56 pm

Oops , didn’t see Bryan’s comment further down. Sorry. 🙂

Bryan A
Reply to  bnice2000
November 21, 2023 6:44 pm

🙈 🙉 🙊 😉

Richard Page
Reply to  Bryan A
November 21, 2023 7:02 pm

Ah yes 3 of the 4 wise monkeys. ‘See no evil’, ‘hear no evil’, ‘speak no evil’ and ‘do no evil’ although the last one is pictured as a bit rude so he’s almost always missed out.

62empirical
Reply to  bnice2000
November 21, 2023 8:26 pm

Absolutely! On Jan 1, every single semi crossing the Cali border should pull over and park it.

leefor
Reply to  Scarecrow Repair
November 21, 2023 7:43 pm

But according to the regulation I saw yesterday, it was global revenue. So smaller companies not totally independent would not work.

JD Lunkerman
Reply to  Joseph Zorzin
November 21, 2023 6:47 pm

An Uber for trucks will appear and will be able to coordinate the small companies and individual truck owners. Big companies will have to avoid CA.

rah
Reply to  JD Lunkerman
November 21, 2023 7:25 pm

Lots of big trucking companies have multiple terminals located all over the state. Last time I was at the Schnider National terminal in Fontana, CA they had over 500. loaded trailers parked there and at least 200 trucks working out of there along with 100s of OTR drivers like I was every week bringing loaded trailers in and hooking to outbound trailers. The whole place was surrounded by an electric fence to help prevent theft. The place was busy 24/7 and had showers, exercise equipment, and a cafeteria for drivers. It was just one of several large and many small terminals that various trucking companies had there.

They had another good sized terminal up at French Camp and multiple drop yards all over the place including one that was used for the transfer of trailers coming in and going out of the Port of LA at Long Beach.

Scissor
Reply to  rah
November 21, 2023 7:34 pm

Electric trucks and power outages, what could go wrong?

JD Lunkerman
Reply to  rah
November 22, 2023 2:41 pm

Helluva operation. Their lobbyist is probably building a new house on the coast with a nice view. One place all the money goes.

David Wojick
Reply to  Scarecrow Repair
November 21, 2023 3:33 pm

So not next year but soon the regs hit all the smaller companies.

Hivemind
Reply to  Scarecrow Repair
November 21, 2023 3:40 pm

They may simply decide not to do business in California.

Joseph Zorzin
November 21, 2023 2:16 pm

“Eight other states, Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts Wokeachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington, have already adopted California’s ACF rules.”

fixed it

karlomonte
Reply to  Joseph Zorzin
November 21, 2023 2:23 pm

“Eight other states, the People’s Republic of Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts Wokeachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington, have already adopted California’s ACF rules.”

ditto

Richard Page
Reply to  karlomonte
November 21, 2023 3:21 pm

And nobody thought to change Califonia to ‘Commiefornia’ or something similar? I’m shocked – are standards slipping?

Giving_Cat
Reply to  Richard Page
November 21, 2023 4:53 pm

California were it to be correctly divided into eight states would be 2 Democrat, 4 Republican and 2 variable. Thus it will not be broken up.

Richard Page
Reply to  Giving_Cat
November 21, 2023 5:59 pm

I really am going to have to put a sarc tag after every sarcastic or mildly humerous post. I honestly thought the sarcastic streak was so obvious in this one that I didn’t need a sarc tag, and where did you get the idea that anyone was talking about breaking California up?

eastbaylarry
Reply to  Richard Page
November 21, 2023 8:36 pm

Breaking up California is a real thing. We’ve been working on it for a while.
https://www.newcaliforniastate.com/

MarkW
Reply to  eastbaylarry
November 25, 2023 11:17 pm

While we’re at it, can we get LA and San Fran expelled from the union?

Scissor
Reply to  karlomonte
November 21, 2023 7:37 pm

Boulder just replaced a bunch of EV school buses with diesels. Seems like the PR of freezing students stuck on buses that couldn’t go uphill was a bad look.

karlomonte
Reply to  Scissor
November 21, 2023 7:51 pm

There are no hills in Boulder.

Richard Page
Reply to  karlomonte
November 21, 2023 7:58 pm

There is one, but I doubt the Hill district actually counts as a proper hill. There are a few hills around Boulder though.

capitalistroader1
Reply to  karlomonte
November 21, 2023 8:16 pm

Nederland is in Boulder Valley School District and it’s almost 3000′ higher than the city of Boulder. Lots of hills in Nederland.

Scissor
Reply to  karlomonte
November 21, 2023 8:31 pm

I guess that’s why so many students live on “The Hill.” 🙂

Anyway, I’m not sure what you are getting at. There are quite a few hills and mountains within the Boulder Valley School District.

rah
Reply to  karlomonte
November 21, 2023 9:25 pm

comment image

Richard Page
Reply to  rah
November 21, 2023 10:03 pm

So where’s Mork and Mindy’s house?

rah
Reply to  Richard Page
November 22, 2023 4:02 am

Planet Ork?

Scissor
Reply to  Richard Page
November 22, 2023 5:05 am

It’s at 1619 Pine St.

Sadly, that TV show is out of the consciousness people younger than about 40 or so. Thinking about it takes me back to the time when I first set foot in Boulder.

karlomonte
Reply to  Scissor
November 22, 2023 6:59 am

I see no one caught my sarcastic remork—there are lots of steep hills in Boulder, especially the western side up against the mountains.

Scissor
Reply to  karlomonte
November 22, 2023 8:44 am

I admit it went over my head, but I did wonder about it because I know that you know Boulder.

I’m laughing now. Thanks. 🙂

karlomonte
Reply to  Scissor
November 22, 2023 2:43 pm

I am no longer sad!

roaddog
Reply to  Scissor
November 21, 2023 7:54 pm

It is intriguing how the Climate Cupcakes are, in situations like this, unwilling to confront the human deaths that are inevitable consequences of the regulations they so love.

eastbaylarry
Reply to  roaddog
November 21, 2023 8:38 pm

We are the carbon they want to reduce.

Bryan A
November 21, 2023 2:23 pm

what I see this doing is creating a situation where hyuuuge parking lots (Transfer Hubs) will be built along major transportation highways at the state line. And goods entering the state will have their boxes disconnected at those transfer huba and EV trucks will pick them up and deliver the cargo within the state. And boxes leaving the state will be driven to those transfer hubs via EV Trucks and there transferred to diesel trucks for the remainder of the Out of State portion of their journey. So likely multiple trucking companies could be involved in moving single freight boxes start to end.

Joseph Zorzin
Reply to  Bryan A
November 21, 2023 2:45 pm

all that – to save the planet! /sarc

Frank from NoVA
Reply to  Bryan A
November 21, 2023 2:58 pm

That would just be an interim solution. Ultimately, if these Misanthropic Marxist Malthusians (apologies to 3M) have their way, freight will be moved on sledges, pulled over log rollers by gangs of slaves

abolition man
Reply to  Frank from NoVA
November 21, 2023 10:03 pm

Which will be good practice for when the Kommie Klimate Kooks decide that more Great Pyramids are needed to appease the Climate Gods! Finding a ready supply of virgins may be problematic in areas with high concentrations of KKKs; based on RCP8.5!

tom_gelsthorpe
Reply to  Bryan A
November 21, 2023 3:37 pm

You’re describing a situation similar to the early railroad period when chaos ensued at state lines before rail gauges were standardized. Freight cars needed to be unloaded, then the freight had to be schlepped and reloaded into other freight cars a few yards away that could only run on a different gauge. That’s why standard gauge was soon adopted. Locomotives and trains could then glide across state lines without slowing down, let along being unloaded and reloaded.

For one benighted state to dictate inefficiencies to the other 49 is pretty damn close to forcing everyone to reinvent the wheel. This is what happens when blockheads rule.

Trying to Play Nice
Reply to  tom_gelsthorpe
November 21, 2023 4:40 pm

My understanding is that we still have a similar system with rail hubs, but it’s the engine and staff that are transferred as control moves from company to company for some unknown reason (actually it’s known, just follow the bribe trail).

old cocky
Reply to  Trying to Play Nice
November 21, 2023 4:56 pm

There are actually some quite practical reasons for keeping the locomotives close to home and letting the crews go home of an evening.

It isn’t practical to trans-ship the freight between rolling stock, so that’s probably a workable compromise.

Dena
Reply to  tom_gelsthorpe
November 21, 2023 5:40 pm

Actually it was 1886, a while after rail travel was firmly established.
The day they change the Gauge

paul courtney
Reply to  Bryan A
November 21, 2023 3:42 pm

Mr A: Yeah, but what if the EV trucks don’t show up? I wonder if rail can carry freight?

Oldseadog
Reply to  paul courtney
November 22, 2023 2:25 am

I take it you missed putting the sarc tag from your second question, Paul.

Trying to Play Nice
Reply to  Bryan A
November 21, 2023 4:37 pm

Maybe this will shut down the immense flow of cheap garbage shipped from China to California and then out to the rest of the US.

Bryan A
Reply to  Trying to Play Nice
November 21, 2023 5:50 pm

Unfortunately the Cheap Chinese Carp is shipped overseas via Cargo Vessels to coastal ports LA, SF, SD and travel by truck or rail from there

Scissor
Reply to  Bryan A
November 21, 2023 7:41 pm

Didn’t know there was such demand for carp. 🙂

Richard Page
Reply to  Scissor
November 21, 2023 8:01 pm

I’ve heard of golden carp and chinese carp but cheap chinese carp is a new one.

Scissor
Reply to  Richard Page
November 21, 2023 8:33 pm

It was a good setup by Bryan.

rah
Reply to  Bryan A
November 22, 2023 4:24 am

Ha! One trip driving a big truck that I will never forget.

For a backhaul when I was pulling a refer trailer I was once sent into Gloucester. MA to pick up a load of frozen fish. The oldest fishing port in the US! Not a place one wants to go pulling a 53 ft. trailer. The narrow winding road in and out was lined with the typical 18th century New England narrow two story houses packed together and so tight up against the road that their front doors opened right onto the street.

The warehouse was right on the waterfront of the bay and I remember there was a well preserved fishing schooner docked nearby.

They loaded me up and though most of the labels on the boxes I recognized a couple pallets were labeled “Swai”. And as I watched them loading a guy came by and pulled a box from that palate. He was an FDA inspector. I had to make the shipper alter the bill of lading to reflect the changed quantity of boxes.

I delivered that load of fish to a food warehouse in Champagne. IL. Can’t remembver the name of the store chain is serviced. When I got home I looked it up. Swai is a Chinese Catfish commonly raised commercially in fish farms. Never had any and I never will.

Elliot W
Reply to  Bryan A
November 21, 2023 6:47 pm

Sounds rife for theft. Reminiscent of when longshoremen got to load and unload freight with a small percentage disappearing.

Scissor
Reply to  Bryan A
November 21, 2023 7:39 pm

They should wait for the hyper loop.

gezza1298
Reply to  Bryan A
November 22, 2023 5:21 am

It sounds very complicated, time consuming and expensive. But then giving it some thought, with the increase in cost passed on fully to the consumers, there will be a drastic decline in the flow of goods, so not requiring so much effort after all.

Drake
Reply to  gezza1298
November 22, 2023 10:00 am

“with the increase in cost passed on fully to the consumers”

New Federal law, part of the first law passed by the new congress/president, sould require all costs associated with this “regulation” to be charged to sales in the states listed. Neighboring states would benefit greatly by having the truck terminals for the transfer of trailers to the electric trucks and the associated retail/wholesale stores and warehouses for cross boarder shopping.

ALSO be sure to require any online orders delivered within these states to charge the full in state price for any delivered goods. AND to add a surcharge for the cost of keeping separate books for the leftist looney states, AND with an added note that any business that fudges the cost figures in favor of Cali. etc. the CEO and Board of Directors thereof shall be liable personally for any violation both civilly and criminally, such Federal crime to be a felony. Amazon will try to game the system for silicon valley.

Add these requirements to the ones concerning the cost of corporations to do all the paperwork required by the other recently mentioned Cali requirements about green house emissions mentioned in the post a couple of days ago.

Before long, without the ability to spread the cost to the citizens of other states, Cali will have double the living expenses as they currently have, and deserve it.

Rud Istvan
November 21, 2023 2:24 pm

Since such trucks as ACF mandated simply do not yet exist, California will simply not have new trucks. That grows into a big CA problem fairly quickly as old trucks wear out.

Brock
Reply to  Rud Istvan
November 21, 2023 2:40 pm

California is already regulating out the old trucks. Checkmate!

Joseph Zorzin
Reply to  Brock
November 21, 2023 2:47 pm

suicide is a terrible thing

Rud Istvan
Reply to  Joseph Zorzin
November 21, 2023 3:15 pm

Not if it is Commifornia. Willis and his beautiful former fiancée can always come stay with us if necessary.

Bryan A
Reply to  Brock
November 21, 2023 5:53 pm

I wonder if you could bypass the situation with a hybrid that has a small petrol engine running generators to power electric motors /snark /snark /snark

Richard Page
Reply to  Rud Istvan
November 21, 2023 4:18 pm

American trucks don’t exist. Volvo, Mercedes Benz, Scania and DAF electric trucks do exist, probably more companies as well, those are just the first 4 I saw. Not that I’m advocating for electric trucks, I think they are a pointless and stupid waste, but I felt I should point out something you may have overlooked.

rah
Reply to  Richard Page
November 21, 2023 7:30 pm

Volvo big trucks you see here, at least the diesel ones, are made here in the US. Don’t know about the EVs.

Dave Andrews
Reply to  Richard Page
November 22, 2023 6:25 am

DAF have recently introduced the ‘XB Electric’ truck in 16 and 19 tonnes versions. They have a range of up to 350kms for “light applications”. For more intensive use an XB with two batteries can travel “up to 200kms”. Unfortunately their blurb does not define what ‘light’ and ‘intensive’ mean but the trucks are all 4 or 6 wheelers.

A very large percentage of HGVs on UK roads are 12 wheelers. I don’t see them being replaced by electrics any time soon

Dave Andrews
Reply to  Dave Andrews
November 22, 2023 6:34 am

Drat! 10 wheelers

rah
Reply to  Dave Andrews
November 22, 2023 7:35 am

With the advent of “Super single” tires many if not most of what had been 18 wheelers are now 10 wheelers if the trailer has those tires also. The wheels for those big tires are aluminum and the weight savings and thus fuel savings are considerable. The single greatest operating expense in trucking is fuel.

Super singles on the tractor sure make the ride a bit smoother. On the downside if you lose one on the drive axle there is no limping on to get to a place to get it fixed and so they have been a boon for the companies providing the much more expensive roadside service.

I personally avoided getting those new big tires on the tractor I was driving as long as I could, because in my experience the conventional set up performs better in slick conditions beside the ability to limp in to a place to get a flat fixed. But when I got into a brand new tractor that had them, I had no choice.

I got 330,000 miles out of that first set of super singles though, and that sold me on them.

MarkW
Reply to  rah
November 25, 2023 11:23 pm

I would expect that having only 2 sidewalls on a single would result in less rolling resistance.

Trying to Play Nice
Reply to  Rud Istvan
November 21, 2023 4:41 pm

I thought Tesla built about 32 of them.

Bryan A
Reply to  Rud Istvan
November 21, 2023 5:50 pm

California…the new Cuba

Shoki
November 21, 2023 2:35 pm

There is a bizarre phenomenon that concentrates stupidity in a small area of Sacramento, California.

Scissor
Reply to  Shoki
November 21, 2023 7:56 pm

State Capitol full of dems explains that.

Meanwhile in SF, all the homeless disappeared a week ago for Xi’s visit and big planters (about the size of caskets) showed up.

Drake
Reply to  Scissor
November 22, 2023 10:04 am

What a coincidence.

Is there a smell associated with those planters?

Sean2828
November 21, 2023 2:37 pm

California has a low carbon fuel standard. Unfortunately, it was written with bio-mass to ethanol in mind. The only things that comes close is sugar cane base ethanol which is not produced in quantity in the US. So they just max out the taxes on what is available until the technology comes around to the legislative aspiration.

I predict the state creates a series of new taxes on diesel so that trucks can keep running until the battery technology comes around and give lip service to controlling the rising cost of living blaming everyone but themselves. (By the way, Californians currently pay $1.50 more per gallon for gas than the rest of America. The governor blames the greedy oil companies.)

Scissor
Reply to  Sean2828
November 21, 2023 7:58 pm

I was out there last week around Sacramento and gas was double the price that it is here in Colorado, under $3/gallon currently.

roaddog
Reply to  Scissor
November 22, 2023 10:11 pm

St. Joe Missouri yesterday: $2.67 for regular.

Tim Gorman
November 21, 2023 2:37 pm

Did the railroad companies push this regulation?

CD in Wisconsin
Reply to  Tim Gorman
November 21, 2023 4:34 pm

California wants to outlaw the diesel choo-choo as well.

https://tinyurl.com/5n6ucs7r

“The California Air Resources Board (CARB) in April approved a regulation that would require railroads to replace diesel with “zero emission” locomotives. Diesel locomotives typically have a useful life of 40 years or more, but the regulation would bar those that are 23-years or older from running in the state after 2029.”

Sanity is becoming an increasingly rare commodity on the Left Coast.

Bryan A
Reply to  CD in Wisconsin
November 21, 2023 5:55 pm

At least they could easily run a suspended power line adjacent to the tracks and run electric locos like trolleys

Tim Gorman
Reply to  Bryan A
November 22, 2023 7:52 am

So a power outage would bring the railroads to a halt? Wow!

Drake
Reply to  Tim Gorman
November 22, 2023 10:07 am

But a diesel generator just over the state line could power the trains in and out of Cali.

While running the new power lines, bury a pipeline to carry the exhaust to the nearest Cali city, just for fun.

Brock
November 21, 2023 2:38 pm

This regulation is what happens when we let technologically ignorant people (politicians) make important decisions. This approach is mind-numbingly stupid. I wonder how many people we will kill before all this insanity ends.

sherro01
Reply to  Brock
November 21, 2023 3:11 pm

Brock,
When or if it can reasonably be expected that legislation will cause deaths, thought should be given to linked laws that lead to criminal charges against the legislators who are responsible for killing others.
Election to political office does not give power for killing of others, maybe with exceptions in wartime. Geoff S

roaddog
Reply to  sherro01
November 21, 2023 7:57 pm

What about the summer of 2020 did you miss? Perhaps the part where Kamala Harris donated bail funding to BLM?

mleskovarsocalrrcom
November 21, 2023 2:59 pm

What a pile of poo. California can’t even install enough charging stations to meet the current EV demand. How will they install the high voltage/current required for these trucks at every trucking entry point to the state and provide the electricity to operate them? There are just some things that you cannot legislate without serious consequences.

J Boles
Reply to  mleskovarsocalrrcom
November 21, 2023 4:05 pm

Pave the deserts in solar panels? XI will help.

abolition man
Reply to  J Boles
November 22, 2023 4:49 am

Do you think that Xi will want his future territory cluttered with unusable and unrecyclable panels? Once the ChiComs finish the takeover of Commiefornia, the Chairman-for-Life will want to start building lots of coal and nuclear plants. Maybe Gruesome can win Gov-for-Life status by reversing all of his previous policies!

Drake
Reply to  abolition man
November 22, 2023 10:32 am

Well he may be able to use the distribution lines installed and paid for by the utility customers designed for the MAXIMUM possible output of the solar and wind unreliable installations. Practically in new, unused condition.

barryjo
Reply to  mleskovarsocalrrcom
November 21, 2023 4:49 pm

Diesel generators seem to work well. Not a new concept, either.

DD More
Reply to  mleskovarsocalrrcom
November 22, 2023 8:21 pm

And if six megawatts of electricity will be needed to simultaneously charge these trucks, they will require upgraded power lines back to a major substation. Local power need not apply for this work.

terry
November 21, 2023 3:13 pm

Throw in the cost of new batteries every 7 to 10 years.

Trying to Play Nice
Reply to  terry
November 21, 2023 4:44 pm

Charging such large batteries quickly will probably generate a lot of heat and they will need to be replaced much sooner. I wonder if any of these companies have testing their trucks for 10 years.

roaddog
Reply to  Trying to Play Nice
November 22, 2023 10:15 pm

Surely incidental heat generation is illegal in California.

CD in Wisconsin
November 21, 2023 3:33 pm

The suit argues that the ACF regulation is unconstitutional …….

If the trucks for any given company affected by the ACF regulation cross state lines and/or do business in multiple states, does that not constitute interstate commerce?

“The Interstate Commerce Clause is a critical component of the United States Constitution that has evolved over time to address the changing economic and legal landscape. It grants Congress the authority to regulate commerce among the states, providing a framework for federal oversight of economic activities that cross state boundaries.”

If the statement above is correct, the federal government should be the only authority that can regulate trucking companies operating across state lines. I almost suspect that CA Democratic legislators know this and are just being asinine to pander to their climate alarmist and environmentalist political base.

Climate alarmists and environmentalists rule the roost in the California legislature and governor’s office. The former bark and the latter jump.

QODTMWTD
Reply to  CD in Wisconsin
November 21, 2023 5:32 pm

The statement quoted is not correct. In the vernacular of the time, “well-regulated” meant “functioning as expected,” not “micromanaged and interfered with by the government to the Nth degree.” Constitution.org has a good explanation: “The phrase ‘well-regulated’ was in common use long before 1789…It referred to the property of something being in working order. Something that was well-regulated was calibrated correctly, functioning as expected.” An example of the term’s use from 1862 is given as, “It appeared to her well-regulated mind, like a clandestine proceeding.” 

When the Commerce Clause grants Congress the power “to regulate Commerce with foreign nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian tribes,” it likewise did not mean “micromanage and interfere with to the Nth degree.” “Regulate” in that context meant “keep functioning” by preventing the states from erecting barriers to trade with each other, such as via tariffs. We have John Marshall to blame for turning that meaning on its head with Gibbons v. Ogden, in which he gave Congress a blank check not to guarantee that trade between the states operated unimpeded, but to insert itself into every single aspect of the economy and to stand aside approvingly when the states did the same. Ergo, two hundred years later, we have California dictating to businesses what kinds of trucks they have to build and dictating to other businesses what kind of trucks they have to buy. It is not possible to read the Founders’ other writings and believe that this was remotely their intent. Neither Congress nor the states are authorized by the Constitution to interfere with commerce within or between the states. The reverse is true: Congress’s sole job under the Commerce Clause is to keep trade “functioning as expected.” 

(The same understanding of “well-regulated” makes the Second Amendment crystal clear.)

roaddog
Reply to  QODTMWTD
November 21, 2023 7:59 pm

Is not the real issue whether or not the EPA had the authority to issue the waiver?

QODTMWTD
Reply to  roaddog
November 22, 2023 3:16 pm

That’s what the suit described in the article is about. The real issue is how completely the government has ignored the Constitution’s limits on it. It acts utterly without restraint while the people act solely by permission or diktat.

Tim Gorman
Reply to  QODTMWTD
November 22, 2023 7:56 am

I can still remember my grandfather talking about a steam engine being “well-regulated” when the firebox was burning correctly and the steam pressure was at the right value.

Richard Page
Reply to  Tim Gorman
November 22, 2023 3:40 pm

Steam engines have regulator’s on them. I wonder if the terms are related and, if so, which one came first?

Tim Gorman
Reply to  Richard Page
November 23, 2023 4:19 am

The ones I saw had a governor (rotating weights) that controlled a valve that could bleed off steam to control engine speed and “pop-off” valves at various points to prevent ruptures from pressure being too high.

Although I don’t remember the term “regulator” being used it is quite possible. Steam was long gone as a common thing in the 50’s when I was growing up so my knowledge is mostly tangential.

roaddog
Reply to  Tim Gorman
November 22, 2023 10:17 pm

One of the gentlemen I wish I’d met. I’m trying to interview as many of preceding generations as possible, to capture some of the knowledge of previous generations.

Tim Gorman
Reply to  roaddog
November 23, 2023 4:24 am

I always thought my grandfather was an old, irascible curmudgeon when I was growing up. Now I realize he was just annoyed by a young fool who thought he knew everything. I often wish now that I had listened more and talked far less.

rckkrgrd
November 21, 2023 3:51 pm

What will be done with all the obsolete ICE trucks. I doubt if salvage price will recover enough capital to allow for the replacement with electric. Recovered capital would allow for only a proportional replacement of truck inventory perhaps 25%.)

Then there are all the foreclosures as property values reduce to below the loans secured. Banks should be as nervous as the trucking firms.

JD Daily
Reply to  rckkrgrd
November 21, 2023 4:45 pm

The used ICE trucks will wind-up in Mexico, Central & South America & Africa like CA off-road equipment has been doing for30 years

Bob
November 21, 2023 4:40 pm

California can’t crash soon enough to suit me.

JD Daily
November 21, 2023 4:55 pm

CA’s electrical transmission & distribution system currently isn’t able to power all existing EV charging stations. There is a service station on I5 in the SJ Valley in the middle of nowhere that has several fast chargers for cars. Hidden behind the building are two trailer mounted diesel gensets that power the chargers. I have no idea if the gensets have load sense demand controls that maximizes the load factor on each gensets. Otherwise at least one could run for long periods of time at idle emitting more CO2, NOX, CO, HC’s and toxic particulate matter than ICE’s (Diesel & SI).

doonman
Reply to  JD Daily
November 21, 2023 6:40 pm

California imports 30% of its electrical power from other States now. The California Public Utilities Commission cannot regulate these utilities. So they have politically lost control of almost 1/3 of the electrical power already. That means predatory pricing during high demand times with no relief possible from elected representatives. It’s the same with natural gas where over 90% is imported. In a State rich with natural gas resources, gas prices routinely jump 100%-150% during the heating season.

Californians are too stupid to figure this out and instead pay more and receive less in ALL energy transactions, which means all transactions that involve goods and services. Then they complain that prices are too high and they will never be able to own a home.

Giving_Cat
November 21, 2023 4:56 pm

Why does anyone think ZEV is actually zero emissions? They get warm. Thermal emissions. Their tires wear. Emissions again.

Bryan A
Reply to  Giving_Cat
November 21, 2023 5:56 pm

Their tires wear 4 times faster than ICE equivalents

Doud D
November 21, 2023 5:45 pm

F them. resist to the maximum. Do not let Liberals into your life in any form. They are anti Freedom , antiGod

Doud D
November 21, 2023 5:46 pm

2nd amendment!!!

B Zipperer
Reply to  Doud D
November 21, 2023 6:27 pm

DD:
California is working on the 2nd Amendment too.

And trying really, really hard to go from the 5th largest economy to, say, 20th.This truck nonsense should help. Unless their electric grid doesn’t collapse first.

John Aqua
November 21, 2023 6:03 pm

I am not that smart but when you just simply think about the logistics, infrastructure and costs both installation and ongoing, how does any person think that a fully electric vehicle fleet will work in any form or function? I cannot fathom how this thinking is perpetuated on any level.

Scissor
Reply to  John Aqua
November 21, 2023 8:01 pm

Donner party goes electric.

Drake
Reply to  Scissor
November 22, 2023 10:38 am

OK, you got a LOL out of me. Thanks!

BenVincent
November 21, 2023 6:06 pm

Maybe offer California a deal. Trucks will go ZEV if California becomes self sufficient in oil, gas, electricity and water and the products made using them.

roaddog
November 21, 2023 7:50 pm

The waiver granted by the EPA is clearly repugnant to the Commerce Clause and should be voided in court.

CoolEye
November 21, 2023 8:53 pm

The real solution would be to not haul freight into California or intra-state.

roaddog
Reply to  CoolEye
November 22, 2023 12:26 am

Or 19 states could behave pragmatically and ban the import. or shipment across their borders of anything that originates in California.

Bob Rogers
Reply to  roaddog
November 22, 2023 4:35 am

States can’t regulate interstate commerce.

Drake
Reply to  Bob Rogers
November 22, 2023 10:42 am

BUT they can see to it that any price of products sold in their state is based on actual costs, not inflated to include the cost of excess regulations created by Cali and other states. Just think of the added cost to transport ANYTHING by truck from the eastern plains of Colorado to the boarder with Utah. Up hill for MILES. They would probably need to change tractors first in Denver then second 1/2 way UP the interstate toward Utah to get it to the transfer yard at the Utah boarder.

roaddog
Reply to  Drake
November 22, 2023 10:22 pm

There is actually a small Utah town on the west side of the Rockies named “Helper,” where additional locomotives were added to trains making the push over the divide.

roaddog
Reply to  Bob Rogers
November 22, 2023 10:20 pm

Except California? And Washington and Oregon, when Wyoming and Montana attempt to export low sulfur coal to Asia.

Coeur de Lion
November 22, 2023 3:53 am

How much is profitability affected by lugging a huge battery around? And where and how often to charge? I’m interested here as a Brit who bombards his member of Parliament with questions about the relevance of electric cars when huge Danish diesel powered 12 wheelers full of bacon arrive at Dover ( oh in their thousands)

Captain Climate
November 22, 2023 4:17 am

Electric trucks don’t exist, but that didn’t stop my state of communist morons from ordering everyone buy and use a nonexistent product.

Captain Climate
November 22, 2023 4:21 am

These laws are clear infringements on inter state commerce. We allow Mexican and Canadian trucks to go everywhere, but we’re going to stop a truck from Missouri going into California because it’s diesel? Insane.

roaddog
Reply to  Captain Climate
November 22, 2023 10:23 pm

Interfering with the fentanyl flow is impermissible. Insane or intentional?

mjmregina
November 22, 2023 5:43 am

I say let California proceed with their rules and the trucking industry responds by boycotting California. It would not take long for ship cargo to move to other ports and for delivery of anything to California just drop right off, Or there might be a niche market of picking up cargo from the ports and then transporting it to hubs built just outside of the state line (using net zero trucks) and transferring cargo to diesel trucks for delivery (and vice versa) – it would be very expensive for California, but since the residents seem to like to pay huge bills for everyday items, let them.

mjmregina
Reply to  mjmregina
November 22, 2023 5:45 am

Further thought – if I was a trucking company I would spend just enough to buy a small fleet of net zero trucks to facilitate movement of goods from California to hubs outside of the state line (given the range of most EVs I suspect it would take one charge for any EV truck to get from the port of LA to the state line – again it would be expensive. It could be a win, win.

Or am I missing something?

karlomonte
Reply to  mjmregina
November 22, 2023 7:09 am

Another thought: this is a racist regulation because diesel trucks from Mexicali would also have to be banned, unless there is a loophole allowing Mexican trucks to cross the border. I can see a bootleg operation setting in where all interstate goods would first go south from Arizona to Mexico, then north into California. California would have to send all out-of-state shipments to Mexico.

I can see all shipping through the ports of LA and Long Beach ceasing.

Makes sense to me!

Drake
Reply to  mjmregina
November 22, 2023 11:00 am

Have you ever driven from Long Beach (At sea level) up I15 through Cajon pass to the HIGH desert of Barstow (at 2200 ft)? About 130 miles, but uphill for a lot of it. AND some ups then downs.

Long Beach to Jean Nevada is 251 miles total. That would be where you could switch to reasonable tractors.

Yep, you are missing something.

Now going back DOWN the pass, they may be able to do it without a recharge with regenerative breaking BUT would Cajon pass grade burn up the batteries by overcharging them? Would the motors overheat when acting as generators? Would they need to insure that the batteries were sufficiently discharged before they start down? When trains get to a grade they add locomotives to carry the weight up. You can’t do that with trucks. Would they need to use different tractors for long steep grades?

Everything just gets more complicated.

karlomonte
Reply to  Drake
November 22, 2023 2:49 pm

Diesel-electric locomotives have what they call dynamic brakes, which dump power generated by the motors going downhill into huge resistors, with fans to push the heat out.

Coach Springer
November 22, 2023 7:15 am

If 8 states have already done it, I’m not seeing much hope for the 19 states getting relief. Or for sane people wanting effectiveness and efficiency.. This should, at a minimum, double the cost of goods.while making them hard to come by.

Ed Zuiderwijk
November 22, 2023 8:13 am

Why not just let the idiocy run its course? Per next january suddenly the trucking fleet required to supply LA and SF will not be available anymore. Would be interesting to watch what happens next.

Andy Pattullo
November 22, 2023 10:05 am

Either rational thought and common sense reverse this nonsense or several US states continue on the road to economic and social collapse, just as intended by America’s enemies and the entrenched globalist elites that are making all the undemocratic rules.

Barnes Moore
November 22, 2023 10:31 am

Part of me wants to see this law enacted and enforced – at least for some period of time. I suspect that if it is enforced, it will cause a lot of pain. If that pain was felt only by those promoting this nonsense, I would frankly be all for it. Unfortunately, it will be felt by all, but may be one way to get people to wake up and pay attention.

Nansar07
November 22, 2023 11:26 am

Question – can California regulate international trade? If not, how can they stop diesel trucks coming south from Canada, and there’s a lot of them?

observa
November 22, 2023 8:37 pm

Hybrids still outselling BEVs (largely Tesla but BYD challenging) in Oz and that spells Toyota with long waits-
Hybrids, not electric cars, are the next big thing according to Toyota Australia – Car News | CarsGuide

Ronald Stein
November 23, 2023 7:01 am

The California Air Resources Board is driven to “protect the public health and welfare of Californians” at any cost !

Imagine the emission reductions in California that CARB could implement, if CARB closed all 9 international airports in the State !!!!

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