The US government is finalising stricter tailpipe emissions standards for heavy duty vehicles like semi-trucks and buses. However, the new rules would not be as lenient as compared to what was initially proposed in 2023. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said the new rules setting standards for the 2027 through 2032 model years will help avoid one billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions through 2055.
The new rules are also expected to provide USD 13 billion in annualised net benefits to society. In contrast, the EPA had said its tougher rules proposed last year would have helped avoid 1.8 billion tons of emissions.
The new standards will apply to delivery trucks, garbage trucks, public utility trucks, transit, shuttle, and school buses and tractor-trailer trucks. The final standards tighten requirements at a slower pace and delay the start of new rules for day cab tractors and some heavy-duty vocational vehicles, as per the EPA.
About 25% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector come from heavy duty vehicles while the sector itself accounts for 29% of US greenhouse gas emissions. The EPA said the standards “are technology-neutral and performance-based, allowing each manufacturer to choose what set of emissions control technologies is best suited for them and the needs of their customers.”
As per the final rules of the US government, the rates of electric vehicle sales rates are lower for model years 2027-2029 as compared to the original proposed rule. However, as per an industry group, the rule was still too strict. Despite the government saying that the new rule is more lenient, the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association, which represents Daimler Truck, Volvo Trucks, Cummins and others believes that the norms are concerning. “The final rule will end up being the most challenging, costly and potentially disruptive heavy-duty emissions rule in history,” the group told Reuters.
The association added the new rules set a percentage of zero-emissions vehicles such as fuel cell-powered or electric vehicles that a company must sell, “which is beyond their own ability to control.” Companies like Tesla and some Democrats and environmental groups had urged the EPA to adopt even tougher rules.