The California Air Resources Board will conduct a public hearing 21 February to consider approving for adoption a proposed Zero-Emission Airport Shuttle regulation.

The regulation as currently written would require fixed route airport shuttles, that serve California’s 13 largest airports, to transition to 100% ZEVs by 2035. The Proposed Regulation would apply to public and private fleets, including operators of parking facilities, rental car agencies, and hotels.

For 2026 and later model years, heavy-duty ZEV airport shuttles will be required to certify to the proposed Enhanced Zero-Emission Powertrain Certification requirements.

The proposed In-Use Fleet composition requirements will require at least 33% of the fleet must be ZEVs by 31 December 2027; at least 66% of the fleet must be ZEVs by 31 December 2027; and 100% by 31 December 2035.

Currently, almost 1,000 public and private airport shuttles operate at the 13 largest airports. The shuttles comprise cans, cutaways and transit buses, and are owned either by local government agencies or by privatebusinesses. The majority of airport shuttle currently use gasoline and compressed natural gas, although some use electric, propane and diesel.

CARB expects the proposed regulation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, relative to current conditions, by 500,000 metric tons of CO₂e; NO_x by 138 tons; and PM_2.5 by 2.5 tons from 2020-2040.

CARB says that the proposed Zero-Emission Airport Shuttle regulation will not only contribute to CARB’s air quality and climate change goals by increasing the use of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) in the medium- and heavy-duty on-road sector, but also provide a bridge toward zero-emission pathways in other sectors.

The purpose of the Proposed Regulation also includes the expansion of medium- and heavy-duty electric charging and hydrogen fueling infrastructure, the increase of consumer awareness and public visibility of zero-emission vehicles, and to support technology transfer to other sectors.

CARB staff developed the Proposed Regulation through an extensive two year public process and it is based on stakeholder feedback, fleet survey results, and analysis.