Opinion: Innovative fuels policy can propel clean freight in San Diego and across state
PUBLISHED: November 2, 2024 at 6:00 AM PST
We are on the cusp of a generational opportunity — the complete transformation of the trucking sector, starting in California.
While trucks represent a fraction of vehicles on the road in the state, they account for a disproportionate share of transportation-related emissions. California, under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s leadership, has committed to 100% zero-emission truck sales by 2036. This is a bold, ambitious goal that can be achievable with the right policies — it won’t be easy, but it will be well worth it.
The benefits of electric trucks will be widely felt, especially for communities suffering from diesel pollution near ports, distribution facilities and warehouse districts.
San Diego County is no exception; the Port of San Diego is the fourth largest port in California. Moving the 2.5 million metric tons of cargo imported per year with electric trucks will clean the county’s air. Additionally, building, operating and maintaining the infrastructure to charge those trucks will create good local jobs.
The state, however, is now stalled. Policymakers are being pulled in multiple directions as they weigh important decisions that will have a dramatic impact on the pace of progress for the nascent electric truck market. With several other states tentatively following California’s lead, the pressure is on decision-makers in Sacramento to show the path to a zero-emission transportation sector.
The Golden State has long dominated the market for electric cars, but the effort to electrify trucks is in its infancy. Policymakers have made headlines over the past two years adopting strong regulations that will require a dramatic ramp up in sales of electric trucks. With just a few thousand vehicles on the road today, we have a long way to go. Fortunately, availability of electric vehicle models is increasing, battery costs are falling, and innovative solutions for charging are emerging. We can do this.
The future of trucking is electric. It will be clean, convenient and cost-effective. Getting there, however, will require hard work and bold decisions.
Customers will not buy a truck that they cannot charge, but investment in charging infrastructure will not materialize without greater certainty around vehicle deployment and charger utilization. The end result can be a standstill, which we simply cannot afford.
This is where policy comes in. California has a clean fuels program — the Low Carbon Fuel Standard — that has been wildly successful in driving investment into cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels. While much of the support to date has gone to biofuels, the program is also enabling electrification. Looking ahead, the importance of this program for the electric vehicle transition will only grow, due in part to an innovative infrastructure provision that will drive private sector investment in electric vehicle charging as electric vehicle sales ramp up. This is an elegant solution to the “chicken or egg” dilemma restraining the electric vehicle market. With the right rules in place, this program will unleash billions of dollars in private investment.
State policymakers are scheduled to decide the program’s future at a California Air Resources Board meeting on Nov. 8, so the chance to act is within grasp. Much of the current debate is focused on sustainability of biofuels derived from crops and large-scale dairy operations. Less attention has been paid to the fact that this program has the potential to leapfrog these fuels, supercharge electric vehicle infrastructure deployment and help eliminate tailpipe emissions from trucks altogether. This is how we take California’s electric vehicle trucking industry transition out of neutral and into drive.
All eyes are on California to see if we can make the vision of a zero-emission truck sector a reality. The stakes are high and rightly so, given the current climate crisis we are seeing not just here in San Diego, but globally. Success hinges in large part on the signals that policymakers send to truck fleets, manufacturers and infrastructure companies like the one I work for. Now is the time for bold and decisive action using every tool we have, including a strong low carbon fuel standard, to eliminate pollution from trucks across the state.
This is yet another case where California can lead. We cannot miss this opportunity to transform trucking and clean our air for generations to come.
Bhat is chief commercial officer at EV Realty and lives in San Francisco.