15 States and Washington, DC pledge to accelerate bus and truck electrification

This week, 15 states and the District of Columbia announced a joint memorandum of understanding (MOU), committing to advance and accelerate the market for electric medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, including large pickup trucks and vans, delivery trucks, box trucks, school and transit buses and long-haul delivery trucks (big-rigs). The goal is to ensure that 100% of all new medium- and heavy-duty vehicle sales be zero emission vehicles by 2050 with an interim target of 30% zero-emission vehicle sales by 2030.

States signing the MOU are California, Connecticut, Colorado, Hawaii,
Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

The MOU aims to end diesel emissions and cut carbon pollution. The
transportation sector is the nation’s largest source of greenhouse gas
emissions and e-mobility is an essential step to achieve emission reductions
needed to avoid the worst consequences of climate change, according to the Northeast
States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NASCUM), the group that issued the
press release.

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, NASCUM said.

To provide a framework and help coordinate state efforts to meet
these goals, the signatory jurisdictions will work through the existing
multi-state ZEV Task Force facilitated by the NESCAUM to develop and implement
a ZEV action plan for trucks and buses.

Today, at least 70 electric truck and bus models are on the
market, and manufacturers are expected to make many more new models
commercially available over the next decade.