The US Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg wants to “undo the harms of the Trump administration” by putting back in place higher standards for truck emissions with the goal of electrifying 15% of the heavy-duty fleet by 2030. In effect, reversing the trend to ease previous restrictions that has been a cornerstone of the current administration.
The Clean Transportation Plan, recently revealed, will provide an incentive program to older truck owners where they can exchange a voucher upon trade in, on new, pollution-free vehicles.
At this time there is not much information as to how it would work and how it would be paid for. In the past, programs offering incentives for truck owners and operators to effect upgrades on their fleets have been effective in recent years, specifically at ports where pollution is increased due to lines of idling trucks. California, which uses cap-and-trade money to fund its Hybrid and Zero Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project, had to put the program on hold after its $142 million budget for the current year was oversubscribed.
This year, California had to put the Hybrid and Zero Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project program on hold after its $142 million budget for the current year was rendered insolvent. Funding for this program was mostly provided by California’s emissions cap-and-trade program.
Additional points of interest within Bloomberg’s Clean Transportation Plan are :
- Reinstating gas mileage and pollution standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses, tightening those standards, and adding a national zero-emissions standard.
- Extending and improving tax credits for pollution-free trucks and buses.
Reinstating U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rules to make sure truck engines meet modern pollution standards when they are retrofitted. - Working with states, cities, and ride-share and taxi companies to convert their fleets to electric vehicles as quickly as possible.
If elected, Bloomberg has also vowed to reduce diesel pollution from trucks, buses and ports “especially in low-income communities with the worst air pollution,” which will also save truck owners money on fuel, he claims. According to the Bloomberg campaign, they intend to launch in 15-metro areas, “Zero-Emissions Shipping Hubs” that focuses on high-pollution, low-income areas. A spokesman for the campaign said “This program will lead cities and states to work with ports and truck and bus fleets, including delivery trucks, to install charging along key routes and electrify ports and vehicle fleets and connect them with electric vehicle and charger manufacturers.”
To support electrification infrastructure, Bloomberg would build a network of charging stations, placed every 50 miles, along the highway system using tax credits and low-cost financing. States and cities would be offered block grants to develop urban charging networks, enabling charging at interstate rest areas while offering incentives to install truck charging at truck stops “especially in priority freight corridors,” according to the plan.
Bloomberg plans to support these initiatives by the construction of a network of charging stations, to be found every 50-miles alongside the US highway system. According to this plan, These stations will be financed through low-cost financing and tax-credit usage. Grants would be made available to cities and states that have priority freight corridors to develop and maintain urban charging networks that will offer the ability to charge vehicles at interstate rest areas and offering incentives to install truck charging at truck stops.
