California Air Resources Board Approves Adoption of Advanced Clean Truck Rule

On June 25, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) unanimously passed the Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) Rule, a first-in-the-world rule requiring truck manufacturers to transition from diesel to an increasing number of zero-emission heavy and medium duty trucks as a percentage of  sales in California.    Manufacturers who certify Class 2b-8 chassis or complete vehicles with combustion engines would be required to sell zero-emission trucks as an increasing percentage of their annual California sales from 2024 to 2035.  By 2035, zero-emission truck/chassis sales would need to be 55% of Class 2b to Class 3 straight truck sales, 75% of Class 4 to Class 8 straight truck sales, and 40% of truck tractor sales[1].

The California Hydrogen Business Council (CHBC) supports the adoption of the ACT Rule, as it creates an opportunity to further the commercialization hydrogen into the California economy through zero emission fuel cell electric trucks (FCETs).

CARB staff, representatives from the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GoBiz), and public commenters directly mentioned hydrogen-powered FCETs as benefitting from the ACT Rule

While the ACT Rule focuses on vehicle procurement by fleets, it does not address the required hydrogen refueling or charging infrastructure to keep those vehicles in service, nor a requirement for fleets to purchase them. CARB is expected to follow though with a fleet requirement in late 2021 according to comments made by the Board.

Additional information on the ACT Rule is available at: https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/advanced-clean-trucks

[1] https://www.truckinginfo.com/10119763/carb-passes-advanced-clean-trucks-rule