Energy Exchange

Billions in federal investments energize zero-emission trucking

The need to transition to zero-emission medium and heavy-duty vehicles is urgent. Today, most of these vehicles run on diesel, which has massive consequences for human health. Thankfully, fleets have been embracing this challenge. In 2024, fleets again added a record number of EVs into their operations.

As we look towards 2025 and beyond, there is more funding available than ever before to help fleets make the transition to medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles. These astounding investments are key to unlocking progress in the sector. Much of this funding is thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. These laws, focused on modernizing America’s infrastructure while addressing local air pollution, climate change and promoting clean energy, have allocated billions of dollars for electric vehicle infrastructure.

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Posted in Air Quality, Climate / Authors: , / Comments are closed

From runways to residences: confronting aviation’s hidden air quality crisis with real solutions

By Pedro Piris-Cabezas and Glenda Chen

Airport activity emits a noxious cocktail of air pollutants, including ashy particulate matter, sulfur oxides, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides. Among them, PM emissions from aircraft turbines often fly under the radar yet have an outsized impact on regional air quality and public health.

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A Tale of Two Basins: Colorado regional oil and gas pollution differences highlight need for action on the West Slope

By Nini Gu

Data recently collected by EDF’s MethaneAIR project in 2023 reveals a striking difference in the emissions profiles between the two major Colorado basins: the Denver-Julesburg (D-J) in the east, and the Piceance in the west. The D-J Basin exhibited a 1.7% methane loss rate from the total natural gas produced; by contrast, the loss rate for the Piceance Basin hit 7%, a high figure among all surveyed basins.  

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Affordable aviation e-fuels are on the horizon

By Pedro Piris-Cabezas and Glenda Chen

The adoption of electricity-based synthetic fuels, also known as e-fuels, will be essential for any hard-to-decarbonize sector with a stake in a resilient liquid fuels market. Chief among them is aviation.

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2024 was another record year for electric truck deployments, proving that the shift to zero-emission is not slowing down

The shift to electric trucks is accelerating faster than ever. This has been another record year for medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicle deployment, with 2024 outpacing 2023 as the best year yet for EV adoption, according to a new Environmental Defense Fund analysis of Class 2b-8 fleet announcements. 

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Fleet stories on the road to electrification

By Kae Tuitt and Lindsay Shigetomi

Fleet electrification comes with unique challenges, yet fleets are finding ways to overcome these obstacles and put zero-emission vehicles on the road because the benefits are worth it. A zero-emission fleet leads to less air pollution, improved community health, new business prospects and financial savings such as lower maintenance and operational costs. According to an Environmental Defense Fund analysis, more than five times the amount of medium- and heavy-duty EVs were put into service in 2023 than in the previous year. Despite the challenges, businesses are leading the charge to successfully deploy EVs into their operations in pursuit of a zero-emission future.

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