(Photo: An MTA electric bus. Credit: State of New York)A group of 15 states and DC agreed to collaborate on advancing the market for bus and truck electrification. Their joint memorandum of understanding seeks to ensure that all medium- and heavy-duty vehicles sold by 2050 are zero-emission.
This MOU commits to advancing electric medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, which include large pickup trucks and vans, delivery trucks, box trucks, school and transit buses, as well as big-rigs. The states set an interim target of 30% zero-emission vehicle sales by 2030.
California, Connecticut, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, DC signed the MOU.
The Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM), a nonprofit association of air quality agencies in the Northeast, plans to provide the group with a framework and help coordinate the signatories’ efforts. NESCAUM says it will facilitate the work through the existing multi-state ZEV Task Force.
“While trucks and buses only account for 4% of vehicles on the road, they are responsible for nearly 25% of total transportation sector greenhouse gas emissions,” according to NESCAUM. The association added that emissions from trucks are the fastest growing source of greenhouse gases, and truck miles traveled on US roads are expected to grow significantly.
Signatories say that ramping up truck and bus electrification will help drive emissions reductions, address climate change, and benefit public health. The MOU also ties in with the signatory jurisdictions’ climate targets.
“Our efforts in California will be magnified through the efforts of this multi-state coalition to reduce emissions and improve air quality, especially crucial in communities where our most vulnerable citizens live,” said California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Hawaii Governor David Ige said that transportation electrification is critical to achieving the state’s goal to reach 100% renewable energy for electricity. The multi-state action plan supports New York’s targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, Governor Andrew Cuomo said.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser sees the electric vehicle industry as being primed for growth, and she tied ZEV advancements to the covid-19 crisis response. “We cannot afford to miss this opportunity to place clean transportation technology and infrastructure at the center of the nation’s economic recovery,” she said.
