U.S. companies are expanding their electric vehicle fleets, and last year was monumental. An astounding 10,265 electric trucks hit the road in 2023, according to a new EDF analysis of class 2b-8 fleet announcements.
Energy Exchange
Electric truck deployments by U.S. companies grew five times in 2023
Posted in Electric Vehicles Comments are closed
4 ways protective, greenhouse gas standards can benefit heavy-duty fleets
A paradox has become evident through many of my recent discussions and projects with fleets: while fleet managers have more tools at their disposal than ever before, the ambition of their efforts has grown significantly, too. Thus, it can feel as challenging as ever to make progress on reducing pollution from trucks at a pace that meets the urgent health and climate imperative we all face.
Fleets know they need to drive toward a zero-emission future. Yet, there is no one-size-fits-all pace, and there are as many paths as there are fleets. But long-term, performance-based medium and heavy-duty emission standards can help.
Posted in Electric Vehicles Comments are closed
For a Clean, Safe Ride to School, Electric Buses Get Straight A’s. Propane? Needs Improvement
GreenPower electric school bus parked in front of the West Virginia State Capitol building; Charleston, WV
By Ali DySard and Melody Reis
School districts around the country are considering a switch to buses that use less fuel, cost less, and, most importantly, provide safe and healthy trips to and from school. Only one option wins on each of these critical criteria: electric. They eliminate the dirty tailpipe emissions of diesel and other fossil fuel models that harm vulnerable lungs, they save money on fuel and maintenance costs and they can even increase the resilience of the local electric grid.
This clear choice is why the majority of the EPA’s Clean School Bus rebate program applications were for —and nearly 100% of the first round of funding went to — electric buses.
But old technology habits die hard, and propane bus manufacturers have allied with propane lobbyists to push school districts to consider their internal combustion buses. And they’re using some of the fossil fuel industry’s old bag of tricks to take on their electric rivals.
Unfortunately, the truth is not on their side and propane does not come out on top.
Posted in Air Quality, Clean Energy, Electric Vehicles Comments are closed
One year later, taking stock of state “action plans” on clean trucks, buses
It’s been exactly one year since nearly two dozen U.S. and Canadian states signed onto a roadmap to 100% zero-emission truck sales by 2050. While this was an important milestone, it was only intended to be the starting point. States were encouraged to build on these plans by developing localized versions that would meet their own unique needs. It’s part of an MOU – the largest multi-state action on clean transportation in U.S. history — that 19 states comprising a third of the medium- and heavy-duty market signed on to back in 2020.
So, how are these state plans coming along? While many states have taken discrete steps to advance zero-emission truck and buses, most states that adopted the model action plan last year have not taken steps to develop their own blueprints for a zero-tailpipe future.
Posted in Electric Vehicles Comments are closed
Research shows gathering pipelines in the Permian Basin leaking 14 times more methane than officials estimate
Methane plume detected on a gathering pipeline during 2021 survey.
By Erin Murphy and Jevan Yu
Methane emissions from natural gas gathering pipelines in the U.S. Permian Basin are at least 14 times greater than Environmental Protection Agency national inventory estimates, according to new peer-reviewed research from EDF, Stanford University and the University of Arizona. Gathering lines transport unprocessed gas from well sites to processing facilities and vary widely in size and pressure, with diameters ranging from two inches to as large as 30 inches. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas with over 84 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide over its first 20 years in the atmosphere, and this new research indicates the importance of finding and fixing pipeline methane leaks to mitigate the climate crisis.
Posted in Air Quality, BLM Methane, General, Methane, Methane regulatons, Natural Gas, PermianMAP Comments are closed
New study finds flaring source of five times more pollution than previously thought
A new study out today in the journal Science finds that climate-warming methane emissions from flaring, the practice of burning off gas rather than capturing it for productive use, are five times higher than government estimates — primarily due to unlit and malfunctioning flares. Researchers conclude that flares are combusting at a 91% efficiency rate, significantly lower than the 98% efficiency rate that is assumed by operators and policymakers.
These findings confirm that our current environmental standards are not adequately controlling this pollution source and underline the need for urgent regulatory action from the Environmental Protection Agency and Bureau of Land Management to limit pollution and waste from flaring.
Posted in Air Quality, BLM Methane, Climate, General, Methane, Methane regulatons Comments are closed