Electric Truck News – Feds say no to Tesla, California rolls back electric truck rules

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The diesel engine has been a blessing to humanity. Unfortunately, it also fills the air with deadly climate pollution that creates health risks for those who benefit from it. An electric truck leaves no nitrogen oxides, particulate matter or carbon dioxide in its wake, and is much more efficient than diesel trucks. This is the good news. The not-so-good news is that electric trucks have massive batteries that require high-powered charging equipment that can provide between 750 and 1,000 kilowatts of power to get them back on the road in a reasonable amount of time.

Truck charging hubs are few and far between, which is why in 2023 the federal government created the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) program as part of the bipartisan Infrastructure Act. Within the CFI is a proposal called “Semi-Supporting Transportation Electrification Operating in Arizona, California, and Texas,” or TESSERACT, which would create nine charging stations for electric trucks along a route running from Fremont, California, down the California coast to Compton before that. Heading east to Phoenix, then along the southern US border to Laredo, Texas.

Each station will have eight 750-kilowatt chargers for Tesla Semis and four accessible chargers for electric truck models from other manufacturers. The additional four chargers are necessary to qualify for federal funding. Despite an ambitious plan to invest $24 million of its own money alongside federal funds, Tesla’s bid was also rejected in the first and second rounds of CFI funding in 2024 despite the California South Coast Air Quality Management District joining the funding request. The applicants were asking for $100 million to start work on the TESSERACT charging network. Tesla’s former vice president of policy, Rohan Patel, expressed optimism for 2024, noting that some stations in the TESSERACT project would be “a no-brainer even without funding.” However, progress appears to have stalled, leaving the fate of the 1,800-mile-long corridor uncertain.

On Friday, January 17, the Department of Transportation awarded $636 million to 46 applicants for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Tesla and SCAQMD were not among those selected for the awards. This is the third time the Biden administration has snubbed Tesla in its request for funding for Class 8 electric truck charging facilities. According to Autoblog, while Tesla struggles to secure funding for a proposed electric truck charging corridor, other companies and states have successfully obtained federal money to boost infrastructure plans Its own charging infrastructure. According to Bloomberg Green, 766 Level 3 charging stations were operational in the United States during the fourth quarter of 2024 — an 8% increase from the previous quarter. These stations will open in places like Alabama, Oklahoma and South Dakota, expanding access for drivers in rural areas and demonstrating the growing momentum for consumer electric vehicle infrastructure outside coastal urban centers.

In theory, the Department of Transport could announce more funding for EV charging infrastructure in the future. Although whether or not that happens will be up to the new administration, which has shown a clear hostility toward electric vehicles of all kinds. But the important factor in this situation is Elon Musk, who has gained unprecedented access as a private citizen to the next president. Paying a quarter of a billion dollars to elect this person will do that. Is it possible that Elon, a government advisor, can influence government policy in favor of the company controlled by Elon? Oh, you’re Pitcha.

Some might look at a map of the proposed electric truck charging corridor and conclude that it specifically benefits Tesla by providing charging infrastructure that connects the factory in Fremont, California, to the factory in Austin, Texas, and the proposed factory in Nueve León, Mexico. It’s worth noting that there are no similar proposals from Tesla to encourage electric truck charging centers anywhere else in the continental United States. Is this too sarcastic? Readers are free to decide on this question.

California rolls back electric truck rules

Also last week, California decided to abandon its groundbreaking regulations phasing out diesel trucks and requiring cleaner locomotives because the incoming Trump administration is unlikely to allow the state to implement them. State officials have long viewed rules regulating diesel vehicles as necessary to clean up California’s severe air pollution and combat climate change. According to CalMatters, the decision comes after the Biden administration recently agreed to authorize the California Air Resources Board to phase out new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035 but not other waivers to diesel truck standards.

“California has withdrawn outstanding waiver and permit applications on which EPA has not yet taken action,” Leanne Randolph, chairwoman of the Air Resources Board, said in a statement. “Although we are disappointed that the US EPA was not able to act on all requests in a timely manner, the withdrawal is an important step given the uncertainty shown by the incoming administration, which has previously attacked California’s programs to protect public health and climate,” she said. “You will do it.” Continue to oppose these programs.”

California’s Advanced Clean Fleet rule, which would phase out diesel trucks, was one of the most far-reaching and controversial rules California has enacted in recent years as it seeks to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. It would have ended the sale of new fossil fuel-powered trucks in 2036 and required large carriers to convert their medium- and heavy-duty fleets to electric or hydrogen models by 2042. The truck fleet rule was approved in 2022 after years of analysis. Public hearings and discussions with industries and experts. It would have ended diesel’s control over the movement of goods in the state, with potentially profound implications for the state’s environment and economy.

Trucking companies had already sued the state to stop the measure, saying electric and hydrogen big rigs were not practical for long-term uses and would devastate the state’s economy. “The California Trucking Association has consistently stated that an advanced clean fleet rule is not achievable,” Eric Sawyer, the association’s CEO, said in a statement. He added that the industry will work with CARB and the EPA “to continue to reduce emissions in a technologically feasible and cost-effective way that preserves our state and the nation’s vital supply chain.”

Under the Clean Air Act, Congress gave California permission to set its own stringent emissions standards for cars, trucks and other vehicles because of its severe smog problem, but the EPA must grant California a waiver to implement those stricter standards. California air quality officials have been waiting for years for the EPA to approve the latest four rules involving heavy trucks and locomotives, but the agency has failed to act in a timely manner.

California may have to suspend any future vehicle rules for the next four years of the Trump administration and instead rely on voluntary agreements with engine manufacturers, trucking companies, railroads, and other industries. “The California Air Resources Board is evaluating its option to continue its progress as part of its commitment to advance the important work of improving the state’s air quality and reducing harmful pollutants that contribute to poor health outcomes and exacerbate climate change. It is clear that the public health, air quality and climate challenges California faces require Take urgent action. “We are ready and committed to continuing the important work to build a clean air future,” Randolph said in the statement.

The truck fleet rule would have affected about 1.8 million medium- and heavy-duty trucks on California roads, including delivery trucks used by FedEx, UPS and Amazon. The trucking industry has cited the high costs of zero-emission vehicles, limited charging and fueling infrastructure, and the financial burden on small operators. Despite the opposition, sales of zero-emission trucks have increased recently. In 2023, one in six medium- and heavy-duty trucks sold in the state were zero-emission vehicles. That means there are 18,000 fewer clean trucks on the road in California this year than last year.

In the final analysis, fleet operators are far more focused on total operating costs than on the political agenda. If these zero-emission vehicles prove cheaper to operate, more of them will be sold. Access to charging infrastructure will also play an important role in the adoption of electric trucks. We can assume that the next administration will be hostile to expanding this access in any way. It remains to be seen how this will impact the adoption of zero-emission vehicles of all types.