California has groundbreaking goals to require automakers to sell, and large fleets to purchase, zero-emission trucks and buses in increasing percentages, starting this year. But these goals will only be achievable if the state has sufficient charging infrastructure to fuel the vehicles, along with available financing to help truck owners purchase or lease them.
To address these dual needs, UC Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy and the Environment (CLEE) and the UCLA Law Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment are today releasing the new report Fueling & Financing: Addressing the Urgent Challenges Facing Electric Heavy-Duty Vehicle Deployment.
The report offers a suite of recommendations for policy makers and industry leaders to help address the key challenges to infrastructure deployment and financing, based on two convenings with a group of expert stakeholders. Some key recommendations include:
- The Legislature and California Public Utilities Commission could require utilities to improve energization timelines and authorize utilities to advance expenditures to fund grid upgrades for heavy-duty charging infrastructure sooner
- The Governor could create an executive level “charging working group” or “czar” with the authority to ensure coordination and hold accountable state agencies responsible for the deployment of charging infrastructure to support the heavy-duty vehicle sector
- The California Legislature and Air Resources Board could modify Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP) funding to ensure more targeted uptake by fleets more readily able to electrify
- The California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (IBank) and Air Resources Board could facilitate private-sector lending for heavy-duty electric vehicles and associated infrastructure
- The California IBank or Legislature could expand and expedite loan loss reserve programs to offset investor and insurer concerns about the residual value of used vehicles
By implementing these and other solutions, California leaders can ensure the transition is feasible, which is crucial to the state’s broader climate and air pollution goals. The California Air Resources Board reports that in 2021, heavy-duty trucking was responsible for over 30 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, making up roughly 10% of the state’s total emissions. The pollution from these vehicles also disproportionately affects low-income and disadvantaged communities, exacerbating public health issues and deepening environmental injustices.
Zero-emission electric versions of these vehicles are already on the road and becoming more widely available. But the California Energy Commission estimates that by 2030, the state will require 114,500 charging stations to accommodate the projected 155,000 medium- and heavy-duty electric trucks and buses. In addition, the upfront price of battery-powered heavy-duty vehicles is currently higher than their fossil-fueled counterparts, leading to the need for financial assistance for many purchasers, particularly smaller fleets.
For this transition to succeed, it will require not just technological innovation but also robust policy support and financial investment. The solutions outlined in this report can hopefully offer a path for state policymakers to ensure that the decarbonization of heavy-duty vehicles is feasible and rapid, while addressing urgent equity, climate, and economic concerns.
Fueling and Financing is the latest release from the Climate Change & Business Research Initiative, a collaboration between Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy, & the Environment (CLEE) and UCLA Law’s Emmett Institute on Climate Change & the Environment. Since 2009, initiative leaders have published a series of policy papers and organized multiple events on how climate change will create opportunities for specific sectors of the business community and how policymakers can facilitate those opportunities.
To learn more, register for our webinar on the report on Thursday, September 19th at 10am PT, featuring a keynote by Dr. Steven Cliff, Executive Officer at the California Air Resources Board, followed by a panel discussion with Niki Okuk, Deputy Director of Trucks and Off-Road at CALSTART and Adam Browning, Executive Vice President at Forum Mobility.
Read the full report here.
This post was co-authored by CLEE climate fellow Shruti Sarode.
On today’s Your Call Media Roundtable, we’ll speak with award-winning investigative journalist Nate Halverson about THE GRAB, a riveting new documentary that investigates how wealthy governments, private investors and mercenaries are working to seize food and water resources around the world, at the expense of local communities.
As climate shocks and food shortages worsen, these groups are now establishing themselves as the new OPEC, where the future world powers will be those who control not oil, but food and water resources. The documentary focuses on the impacts of communities from Arizona to Zambia.
Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 10am PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guest? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!
Climate change is causing multiple types of impacts on communities, from wildfires to sea level rise. But investigative journalist Lois Parshley says climate change is also driving a dangerous increase in landslides in Alaska, and I’ll speak to her as guest host of Your Call today at 10am PT.
Up to half of downtown Juneau is at moderate to severe risk of landslides. But Juneau officials faced significant backlash from the public when they tried to adopt new city maps that outlined that risk. Parshley says that with few resources to address the problem, some residents want to ignore it all together.
What can we do to protect people in Alaska and elsewhere from climate change-induced landslides? Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 10am PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guest? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!
I’ll be a guest on KQED Forum at 10am PT today for our In Transit series, this time discussing the future of Amtrak and long-distance passenger rail in California.
Amtrak reports that overall demand for passenger rail is soaring, as yearly ridership totals approach pre-pandemic levels. But here in California the story is different. Popular west coast lines are losing riders and remain challenged by underinvestment and too much track priority to freight trains. In addition, increasingly powerful storms and rising seas threaten Amtrak’s infrastructure, with Southern California’s Pacific Surfliner has repeatedly suspended service for emergency repairs.
Joining me as a panelist on the show will be Tom Zoellner, English professor at Chapman University and author of “Train: Riding the Rails That Created the Modern World -from the Trans-Siberian to the Southwest Chief.”
Tune in on KQED 88.5 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 10am PT!
Tonight on State of the Bay, we’ll delve into the challenges facing California’s wine industry with Esther Mobley, senior wine critic at the San Francisco Chronicle.
We’re also joined by Seamus Murphy, executive director of The San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority, who will share the details of a 25-year plan to enhance, expand and electrify the San Francisco Bay Ferry System.
Finally, we’ll hear from psychedelic comedian Adam Strauss about his one-man show,”The Mushroom Cure.”
Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 6pm PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!
I’m guest hosting Your Call’s Media Roundtable this morning at 10am PT. First, we’ll discuss the coordinated campaign by fossil fuel interests and their allies to sow disinformation about renewable energy. I’ll interview Rebecca Burns, an award-winning investigative reporter who has covered this story extensively.
Then, we’ll discuss the one-year anniversary of the civil war raging in Sudan. Joining me will be Sudanese-American journalist Isma’il Kushkush, who has reported on the conflict from the beginning.
Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 10am PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!
On tonight’s State of the Bay, I’ll talk with Joe Eskenazi, Managing Editor of Mission Local, about the results of the March 5th Election and what they mean for San Francisco.
Then, I’ll interview three experts about whether climate disclosure and emissions requirements will be effective and what the prospects are for divestment from fossil fuels. The panel will include:
- Dave Jones, Director of the Climate Risk Initiative at UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy and the Environment (CLEE)
- Rev. Kirsten Snow Spalding, Vice President of the Ceres Investor Network
- Malin Clark, Partner at Third Economy, a sustainability consulting firm
Finally, we’ll hear about the all-girl robotics team, The Janksters, and their robot Rosa! Joining me will be their coach, Marta Carrillo.
Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 6pm PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!
I’ll be a guest on KQED Forum at 10am PT today discussing how to improve electric vehicle charging infrastructure in California.
Electrical vehicle purchases in the state dropped significantly in the second half of last year, for the first time in a decade. It’s likely this is just a blip, but some potential EV buyers say that they’re holding off because of concerns over public charger access and reliability.
The situation may be improving though: California approved a $1.9 billion dollar investment in EV charging infrastructure last month, which will bring 40,000 new chargers online – including in rural areas.
On the show, I’ll talk about what California needs to do to meaningfully expand its EV charging infrastructure ahead of its 2035 ban on the sale of new gas-powered cars. Joining me on the panel will be:
- Russ Mitchell, Automotive Editor, Los Angeles Times, who covers the automotive industry.
- Terry Travis, managing partner, EVNoire, a Mobility Consulting Group that works to integrate and amplify diversity, equity, and inclusion in the electric transportation sector.
Tune in on KQED 88.5 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 10am PT!
California’s ambitious goal to end the sale of internal combustion engine passenger vehicles by 2035 will require addressing the challenges faced by lower- and moderate-income drivers in accessing battery-powered electric vehicles (EVs). Chief among these concerns is their need to have a convenient and affordable place to charge the vehicles.
Currently these residents too often experience limited access to EV charging stations, especially in lower-income communities characterized by lower home ownership rates and higher rates of tenancy in apartment buildings. Residents in these areas are more likely to lack dedicated parking spaces equipped with electric outlets, hindering their ability to charge EVs conveniently. Even those with garages or parking spaces may face financial constraints when it comes to investing in private charging and electrical upgrades. Compounding these challenges is the often-inadequate grid infrastructure in lower-income areas.
In response to these obstacles, UC Berkeley School of Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment (CLEE) partnered with the City of Watsonville, a diverse city of 50,000 in Santa Cruz County’s agricultural heartland. Due to its location, demographics, and ambitious policy goals, Watsonville represents a potential model and case study for other cities around the state grappling with how to boost zero-emission vehicle charging infrastructure.
Today CLEE is pleased to release a new report, which draws on stakeholder interviews and a convening held in Watsonville to offer a set of policy recommendations for both state and local leaders. These recommendations aim to accelerate investment in EV charging infrastructure not only in Watsonville but other cities facing similar challenges in meeting state targets while addressing lower-income residents’ needs.
- Comprehensive Mapping Assessment: Watsonville’s City Planning Department and Public Works & Utilities Department could initiate a comprehensive mapping assessment to determine optimal and equitable charger locations based on local needs and transportation patterns.
- Zoning and Permitting Policies: Watsonville’s City Planning Department could revise zoning and permitting policies to require EV charger installation or EV-ready electrical infrastructure at certain priority locations.
- Electricity Rate Optimization: The CPUC and utility companies could implement electricity rates that reduce the cost of charging during off-peak hours and improve transparency for consumers about these rates.
- Community Awareness Campaigns: The state transportation agencies could expand support for community based organizations in Watsonville that conduct targeted, multi-lingual public awareness campaigns about the potential cost savings and benefits from switching to EVs.
By prioritizing charging access, state and local leaders can ensure that California’s path toward equitable EV deployment is not only aspirational but also achievable, particularly for the lowest-income drivers in the state. The lessons learned from Watsonville can serve as an example for other cities grappling with similar challenges, ultimately contributing to a more inclusive and sustainable transportation landscape.
Read our full report here- Charging up the Central Coast: Policy solutions to improve electric vehicle charging access in Watsonville
I’ll be a guest on KQED Forum this morning at 10am discussing lawsuits against the oil industry and its deceptive practices related to climate change.
Most recently, 18 California children sued the EPA for failing to protect them from climate change. The lawsuit is one of many efforts to hold the fossil fuel industry to account that reporter Dharna Noor highlighted in her series for the Guardian US called “Big Oil Uncovered.” We’ll discuss the strategies oil and gas companies are using to delay or avoid action on climate change — and the people and policies who are taking them to task.
Tune in on KQED in Northern California or stream live at 10am PT!
