The California Air Resources Board (CARB) adopted the Advanced Clean Fleets rule (earlier post), which will require a phased-in transition to zero-emission medium-and-heavy duty vehicles. While trucks represent only 6% of the vehicles on California’s roads, they account for more than 35% of the state’s transportation-generated nitrogen oxide emissions and... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced two new proposed federal emissions standards spanning light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles for model year 2027 and beyond. EPA projects that the proposed standards would avoid nearly 10 billion tons of CO2 emissions—equivalent to more than twice the total US CO2 emissions in... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is proposing a significant revision in its procedures for calculating a value for the petroleum-equivalent fuel economy of EVs for use in the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program administered by the Department of Transportation (DOT). The change, petitioned for by the Natural Resources... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is granting two waivers of preemption regarding four California Air Resource Board (CARB) regulations related to California’s heavy-duty vehicle and engine emission standards. Under the Clean Air Act, California is afforded broad discretion to adopt emissions requirements to meet its significant air quality challenges,... Read more →

University of California, Riverside (UCR) environmental engineers will soon serve as referees in California’s drive for heavy-duty trucks to meet the state’s tailpipe emission standards. The referee program will provide testing services for vehicles potentially operating with tampered emissions control systems and/or testability issues. Operating under the California Air Resources... Read more →

The German government and the EU Commission reached agreement on the inclusion of internal combustion engines fueled by CO2-neutral fuels—eFuels—late Friday evening. The agreement clears the way for the adoption of the 100% zero emissions limits for 2035. (Earlier post.) Early in March, Germany’s Federal Minister of Transport Dr. Volker... Read more →

The Council of the EU and the European Parliament reached provisional political agreement on green shipping fuels regulations. The main objective of the FuelEU Maritime initiative, as a key part of the EU’s Fit for 55 package, is to increase the demand for and consistent use of renewable and low-carbon... Read more →

A global Automotive Manufacturing Outlook survey commissioned by ABB Robotics and industry publication Automotive Manufacturing Solutions found that more than half (59%) of respondents believe the shift to pure electric vehicle production is not achievable within current legislative timelines. The respondents surveyed highlighted challenges in adapting to a new battery... Read more →

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced that the state will initiate the process to adopt Advanced Clean Cars II. The NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will begin considering the potential adoption of the Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) regulation implemented by the California Air Resources Board. If adopted,... Read more →

The European Parliament approved the new CO2 emissions reduction targets for new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, part of the “Fit for 55” package. With 340 votes in favor, 279 against and 21 abstentions, MEPs endorsed the deal reached with the Council on revised CO2 emission performance standards for... Read more →

The European Commission has proposed new CO2 emissions targets for new heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) from 2030 onwards. The Commission proposes phasing in stronger CO2 emissions standards for almost all new HDVs with certified CO2 emissions, compared to 2019 levels, specifically: 45% emissions reductions from 2030; 65% emission reductions from 2035;... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposal to to revise the primary (health-based) annual PM2.5 standard from its current level of 12.0 µg/m3 to within the range of 9.0 to 10.0 µg/m3. EPA is taking comment on the full range (between 8 and 11 10 µg/m3) included in... Read more →

Piedmont Lithium (earlier post) has amended its earlier agreement with Tesla to supply the US automaker with spodumene concentrate (SC6) from North American Lithium (NAL). North American Lithium is a brownfield open pit mining and spodumene concentrator operation in Québec owned 75% by Australia-based Sayona Mining and 25% by Piedmont.... Read more →

California’s Truck and Bus regulation (earlier post) has been in effect since December 2008, with the purpose of reducing emissions of diesel particulate matter (PM), oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and other criteria pollutants from in-use diesel-fueled vehicles. Under the regulation, 1 January 2023 marked the final deadline to replace or... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized more stringent NOx emissions limits for model year 2027 and later heavy-duty engines and vehicles. Relative to current rules, the new standards are more than 80% stronger, increase useful life of governed vehicles by 1.5–2.5 times, and will yield emissions warranties that are... Read more →

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) (earlier post) London-wide. The expansion will come into effect on 29 August 2023 and will operate across all London boroughs up to the existing Low Emission Zone boundary for large and heavy vehicles. On 8 April... Read more →

The European Commission presented its proposal for Euro 7 standards to reduce air pollution from new motor vehicles sold in the EU. While CO2 emission rules will drive the deployment of zero-emission vehicles, it is important to ensure that all vehicles on European roads are much cleaner, the EC said.... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responding to petitions from the California Air Resources Board, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, and the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association to address harmful nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions from locomotives. EPA adopted its first regulation... Read more →

In an open-access report in the journal Environmental Pollution, researchers from UCLA and the University of Chicago estimate that California’s wildfire carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions from 2020 (~127 mmt CO2e ) are approximately two times higher than California’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions since 2003. Without considering future... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) will conduct a public hearing on 27 October in Sacramento to consider the proposed Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulation. The proposed regulation would set a clear end date for combustion-powered new vehicle sales in California by requiring all new medium- and heavy-duty vehicle sales... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) reached a settlement agreement with FCA US LLC (FCA) of Auburn Hills, Mich. for $5,601,090 for violations of CARB’s air quality regulations. This is the second enforcement action against FCA in the past four years. The FCA vehicles and model years (MY) involved in... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a new effort under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to implement a streamlined and efficient process under the New Chemicals Program to assess risk and apply mitigation measures, as appropriate, for new chemicals with applications in batteries, electric vehicles, semiconductors and renewable... Read more →

New York Governor Kathy Hochul directed the State Department of Environmental Conservation to take major regulatory action that will require all new passenger cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs sold in New York State to be zero emissions by 2035. This regulatory step will be complemented by new and ongoing investments... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board today approved a statewide plan for attaining the federal health-based standard for ozone, typically experienced as smog. The 2022 State Implementation Plan Strategy identifies the state’s control strategy for meeting the federal 70 parts per billion, 8-hour ozone standard over the next 15 years. The... Read more →

General Motors and Environmental Defense Fund announced a set of recommendations that seek to accelerate a zero-emissions, all-electric future for passenger vehicles in model year 2027 and beyond. The recommendations were jointly developed by GM and EDF to support the next tier of EPA clean car standards. GM and EDF... Read more →

The California legislature has passed AB 1322 (R. Rivas); the bill requires the California Air Resources Board to develop an incentives-based plan to promote the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and other alternatives to jet fuel to reduce the impact of commercial aviation on climate change. Specifically, this bill... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) recently previewed the Heavy-Duty Inspection and Maintenance Program (HD I/M), which is due to begin phasing in on 1 Jan 2023 (earlier post), at an enforcement truck event held at the Port of Los Angeles. CARB used the event, where more than 1,200 trucks... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board approved the Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) rule. The rule establishes a year-by-year roadmap so that by 2035 100% of new cars and light trucks sold in California will be zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). The ACC program was first... Read more →

The Inflation Reduction Act, which the Senate passed last week, revamps the electric vehicle Federal tax credit of $7,500 (earlier post). Among the changes are an extension of the tax credit through 2032, the removal of the unit-sales cap of 200,000 per OEM, and a new mandate for qualified cars... Read more →

The US Senate has passed the Inflation Reduction Act, with nearly $400 billion in funding over 10 years for climate- and energy-related programs; among the myriad provisions in the 755-page bill are changes to the electric vehicle Federal tax credit of $7,500. The bill renews the credit starting in January... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has released the results of a multiyear study evaluating exhaust emissions from the use of California Reformulated Gasoline (CaRFG) that contains 15 volume percent ethanol (E15). The study was performed by a team from the University of California at Riverside (UCR) Bourns College of... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board will launch a new pilot program that aims to help small trucking fleets make the transition to zero-emission technologies. The Innovative Small e-Fleet pilot will focus on privately owned and nonprofit trucking fleets with 20 or fewer trucks and less than $15 million in annual... Read more →

The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for states and municipalities to track and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The new rule would: Establish a national framework for tracking state-by-state progress by adding a new GHG performance management measure to the... Read more →

The Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) has ruled in West Virginia v. EPA that the EPA lacks the authority to set emission standards for power plants so strict as to force a shift of power generation from fossil fuels. The opinion (6-3) applied the “major questions doctrine”, which requires... Read more →

President Biden called on Congress to suspend the federal gas tax for the next 90 days, through the busy summer driving season—18 cents per gallon for gasoline and 24 cents per gallon for diesel. He also called on states to suspend their state gas taxes as well or to find... Read more →

The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on proposed minimum standards and requirements for projects funded under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program. The proposed rule would establish the groundwork for states to build federally-funded charging station projects across a... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took action on Friday pursuant to a consent decree agreement that requires EPA to finalize RFS volumes for 2021 and 2022 no later than 3 June 2022 (Friday). In the final volumes, EPA adjusted the final biofuel volumes for 2021 to reflect updated data... Read more →

The European Parliament Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) adopted this week, with 46 votes in favor, 40 against and two abstentions, a position on proposed rules to revise the CO2 emission performance standards for new cars and vans in line with the EU’s increased climate... Read more →

California’s Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP), launched in 2009, accelerates commercialization of zero-emission and near-zero-emission technologies by providing point-of-sale vouchers to make advanced vehicles more affordable. Of the 730 zero-emission trucks on the road in California as of January 2022, more than 60% are directly... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has released the draft 2022 Climate Change Scoping Plan—the third update to the state’s initial 2008 Scoping Plan. It identifies a path to achieve carbon neutrality over the next two decades while also assessing the progress the State is making towards reducing its greenhouse... Read more →

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) demonstrated the effectiveness of its patented and award-winning CAT-DEF technology during the WCX World Congress Experience in Detroit in April. CAT-DEF—Catalyzed Diesel Exhaust Fluid—is an SwRI-developed catalyst- and surfactant-modified diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) solution. The internally funded advancement successfully reduced heavy-duty diesel engine nitrogen oxide (NOx)... Read more →

The New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board (EIB) and the Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board (AQCB) have each adopted the Clean Car Rule after a joint public hearing. Their independent approval of the Clean Car Rule allows California’s Advanced Clean Cars to be implemented statewide in New Mexico beginning 1... Read more →

A recent study by leading UK-based independent emissions testing company Emissions Analytics tested four apparently similar pairs of gasoline-fueled vehicles between the US (without gasoline particulate filters (GPFs)) and Europe (with GPFs). The US vehicles were tested in Michigan, and the European vehicles in the UK. The vehicles were: 3.0l... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing an emergency fuel waiver to allow E15 gasoline to be sold during the summer driving season. (Earlier post.) The Clean Air Act (CAA) requires the use of low-volatility gasoline during the summer months in order to limit the formation of ozone pollution.... Read more →

The California Assembly Transportation Committee passed a landmark ZEV incentive reform bill, AB 2816, by a 6-2 vote on Monday. The bill, introduced by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), directs the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to maximize the climate and equity impacts of the state’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV)... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) pathways for certain biofuels that are produced from canola/rapeseed oil (earlier post) and is providing an opportunity for comment on the Agency’s lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) analysis of these pathways. With the approval, these fuel pathways... Read more →

The US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has finalized new Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards for MY 2024-2026. The new standards require an industry-wide fleet average of approximately 49 mpg for passenger cars and light trucks in model year 2026. Estimated Average of CAFE Levels (mpg)... Read more →

The Washington State Legislature has passed the $16.9-billion, 16-year Move Ahead Washington transportation package. The package makes significant investments in reducing carbon emissions, preservation and maintenance, expanding multimodal options, public transportation and pedestrian safety. Notable investments include: $5.4 billion toward carbon reduction and multimodal expansion. $3 billion for maintenance and... Read more →

The US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a first-of-its-kind final rule to ensure safety of occupants in automated vehicles. This rule updates the occupant protection Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards to account for vehicles that do not have the traditional manual controls associated with a... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reinstated California’s authority under the Clean Air Act to implement its own greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards and zero emission vehicle (ZEV) sales mandate. This means that the Clean Air Act (CAA) waiver granted to California to implement its Advanced Clean Car (ACC) program... Read more →