Opponents clashed over a state proposal to ban gas-fueled truck sales and make large trucking firms convert to electric within two decades.
But environmental groups often say that while the air board’s regulations on the transportation industry are well-intentioned, they don’t go far enough to reduce the production or use of fossil fuels.
Drayage trucks are among the most suitable for electrification because they may not need a long range to transport cargo to and from their destinations, and may have more down time for fueling, according to air board staff’s analysis. To meet that demand, Shimoda said the state would need to install as many as 800 chargers per week to power truck fleets, representing anywhere from 64 to158 megawatts of new charging capacity, or enough to power 118,000 households.
Air board member Daniel Sperling, who is also the director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis, echoed many of the concerns raised by the trucking industry about installing charging stations and making rapid grid improvements. Many truck drivers at the hearing called the proposal unfair due to the high costs of purchasing an electric truck compared to that of a traditional diesel truck.