PI
Andy Burke
Additional Researchers
Lew Fulton, Marshall Miller
Description
The California Air Resources Board staff is planning to submit a proposal to their Board defining a ZEV mandate for trucks. Trucks differ greatly from light-duty vehicles in that there are many more truck types and applications; therefore, crafting an appropriate truck ZEV mandate must include consideration of more issues than for a LDV mandate. These issues include vehicle range (e.g. Will expected electric truck ranges meet the application needs?), vehicle cost (e.g. How much will ZEV trucks cost and will incentive funds be available for fleets?), charging considerations (e.g. How and when do trucks refuel, and will charging infrastructure meet these operational needs?), and fast charging (e.g. Will fast chargers be available to assist with charging needs?). We will talk with truck OEMs to understand their concerns and their ability to manufacture ZEVs that meet fleet needs at various costs. We will discuss the mandate with ARB to understand their requirements. We will talk with trucking fleets to understand the issues listed above as well as other potential application constraints. In addition, we will consider plug-in hybrids and fuel cell trucks as part of a potential mandate. Finally, we will draw on our existing research to date to inform these discussions. The goal of the project is to rapidly produce and synthesize research findings leading to a set of recommendations that can help ARB craft a truck ZEV mandate that meets the constraints of fleet operations and OEM commercialization as well as the requirements of the air quality standards.