California bans new diesel trucks effective 2036, a world first
The California Air Resources Board has voted unanimously to finalize its Advanced Clean Fleets rule, a massive new regulation on medium- and heavy-duty fleet vehicles that, among other things, requires all new medium- and heavy-duty vehicles sold or registered in the state of California to be zero-emission come 2036.
The rule is a complement to CARB’s previous Advanced Clean Trucks rule adopted in 2020.
The two rules are similar but distinct. ACT was primarily a manufacturer requirement, requiring that manufacturers supply enough electric trucks. ACF will be a fleet adoption requirement, requiring that commercial fleet operators purchase a certain percentage of electric trucks.
In the interim few years, it has become apparent that not only are climate change and pollution becoming even more urgent, but that the market for EV trucks has advanced significantly, with hundreds of total models available, across every truck class from 2b through 8. And these trucks have more than enough range for most fleet applications, which often have predictable daily usage schedules.
Because of this, the ACF rule has been strengthened since it was first proposed. Despite originally starting as an urban delivery truck requirement, then morphing into a sales requirement for several types of fleets, it has now been modified to improve on ACT and require even more of manufacturers.
Among these requirements is a new 2036 target for an end to diesel truck sales. This was lowered from an early 2040 target, with the thought that 2040 would be too late to reach California Governor Gavin Newsom’s goal for 100% zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles by 2045. Nine years gives a lot more wiggle room than five years to turn over the entire state’s fleet, though nine years is still a tight timeline.
Notably, the new 2036 target is only one year off from California’s 2035 target for cars. In many locales, truck regulations have a later timeline than car regulations, so being only one year off sets quite a precedent. It suggests that other locations may not need to delay truck regulations quite as long as they often do, and that medium- and heavy-duty vehicles are just as prime for electrification as light-duty is.
The rule has many categories and exceptions for niche applications, and recognizes that there may be some applications for which commercial solutions may not exist, or where infrastructure installations might delay implementation. And timelines differ for certain entities – “high-priority” entities like state and local governments and large commercial operators must comply earlier, whereas smaller operators and less optimal applications like long-haul trucking have more time to comply.
It also doesn’t affect existing equipment for the most part, and has provisions to allow vehicles to continue being used throughout their typical full useful life.
But it also includes many milestones that are sooner than the 2036 target. For example, state and local agencies must purchase 50% ZEV by 2024, and 100% ZEV by 2027. And drayage vehicles, the category of trucks that transport cargo from ports to distribution centers, must reach 100% all-electric purchases by 2024 (!).
These sales targets will enable a smooth transition to ZEV fleets, with in-service fleets reaching:
- 100% zero-emission drayage trucks, last-mile delivery, and government fleets by 2035
- 100% zero-emission refuse trucks and local buses by 2040
- 100% zero-emission capable utility fleets by 2040
Additionally, California expects that nearly half of all semi-trucks that travel on its highways will be zero-emission by 2035 and about 70% will be zero-emission by 2042, with the eventual goal of 100% by 2045.
Local air quality concerns in California
The drayage regulation is particularly important in Southern California, where the two largest container ports in the US, the adjacent Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, operate. These ports contribute to poor air quality in the LA basin and the Inland Empire, the area inland of LA where many of the nation’s largest warehouses and logistics and distribution centers operate.
Both regions exist in a “bowl” between the mountains of Southern California, trapping air pollution from thousands of cargo trucks. The same applies to California’s Central Valley, which produces half of the nation’s fruits, nuts, and vegetables, but is surrounded by large mountains that trap pollution from farm equipment and cargo trucks bringing food up and down Interstate 5.
As a result of all this activity and these mistakes of geography, California has some of the most-polluted cities in the US. Despite California’s history of clean air action, there is still a lot of cleaning up to do.
CARB considered allowing CNG trucks to qualify as part of the regulation, but data shows that it’s nowhere near as clean as ZEV and not much better than diesel, so the focus with these regulations is on zero-emission trucks only, including both plug-in and hydrogen-fueled. It recalls the old Henry Ford quote: “any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants, as long as it is black” – you can use any powertrain you want, as long as it’s electric.
CARB says that the regulations in question will save $26.5 billion in statewide health benefits from lower emissions of dangerous pollutants, and an additional $48 billion in net savings to fleets from lower operational costs. These numbers don’t include other environmental benefits (like reducing noise pollution), beyond the direct benefits to human health through higher air quality and cost benefits to fleet operators.
While initial costs can be high for purchasing new electric vehicles, particularly heavy-duty vehicles, tens of billions in funding is available in the form of purchase incentives (both at the state and federal level) and utility infrastructure installation programs. Availability of funding is one reason that CARB felt confident pushing regulations forward.
During the public comment period at CARB’s board meeting, many members of the public came forward – some with the help of an interpreter – to describe the effects that living near truck depots has had on their health. Workers, children, environmental leaders, and members of many communities told heartfelt tales of the woe caused by pollution and begged the board to adopt these rules.
Industry representatives mostly recognized that these plans were coming in some form or another, but asked for specific carveouts or adjustments (many of which were reasonable, some which are already included in the regulation), or stated that the timelines are just too early and would be too hard to meet.
These same industry representatives rarely acknowledged the difficulty of, for example, being diagnosed with asthma as a child and knowing that you will have to deal with that for your entire life, at no fault of your own. Given that industry constantly complains about the difficulty of complying with regulations, it would be nice if they acknowledged the difficulty they foist on others through noncompliance.
A diverse coalition led the effort
The regulation saw a surprising coalition of support, which is what allowed it to be strengthened over the course of the rulemaking process.
In particular, the Environmental Justice community took center stage. Environmental Justice is the concept that environmental problems are exceptionally insidious because their effects are disproportionately felt by disadvantaged communities.
With California’s previous ACC2 regulation for cars, this was a consideration, but not as much as with ACF.
We spoke with Sasan Saadat, a senior policy analyst with Earth Justice, who pointed out that “cars don’t have the same super localized and acute health impact that trucks have on communities of color in California.” Logistics centers tend to be concentrated in places where land value is comparatively cheap, and trucks tend to drive along routes in less wealthy areas, so the local pollution from trucking affects those communities more.
But the laborers who work in heavy-duty vehicles are affected as well. We’ve heard that truck operators who switch to electric trucks typically feel better driving these trucks than those with dirty diesel engines. With less noise, vibration, and fumes, electric trucks are easier on the body than diesel trucks are. And cleaning the air around a port will mean workers in that port suffer fewer health problems from breathing all the junk in the air around them.
This may have influenced unions to be more in favor of ACF than they might have otherwise, as labor can sometimes resist change out of fear that it might jeopardize jobs. Saadat called it an “unlikely partnership between environmental justice groups and labor unions” because “labor unions softly supported or were mostly neutral on the car side, but they are strongly in support on this regulation.”
Truck driver unions were likely influenced to support the rule due to a history of industry misclassifying employees as independent contractors, which gave “a much clearer sense that the corporate entity is the enemy, because the logistics industry and the trucking industry exploit drivers like crazy,” said Saadat.
ACF includes provisions to stop this practice, a callback to California’s recent AB5 law, which reduced the number of employees who can be categorized as such. ACF puts the onus on “controlling companies,” not drivers, to comply with the rule.
The coalition also included the usual suspects – public health and environmental organizations (you know, scientists – ugh, who listens to those people). Then there were electrical unions who will largely be tasked with installing this infrastructure, and even several business groups and fleets who not only see the writing on the wall and want a seat at the table, but who see the huge potential savings from electrification of their fleets. TCO analysis shows that many ZEVs are already cheaper than diesel, and all will be cheaper in the coming years.
California leads the way, again
The ACF rule is thought to be the strongest medium- and heavy-duty truck regulation in the world, and the first to ban the sale of diesel trucks. California’s light-duty car targets are strong, but could be stronger, and are exceeded by many national and subnational governments worldwide. But the new ACF rule is a true gauntlet-throw compared to all other governments we’re aware of.
We have been known to ask “why not sooner?” when new EV regulations come into play, but in this case we don’t think that question is necessary. This is soon. This is big.
Since ACT was finalized in 2020, several other states have joined in and adopted or have considered adopting the regulation. Once ACF is finalized – and again, it’s even stronger than ACT was – we should be able to expect some other states to join in, though we don’t know which ones will yet.
Regardless, California, as the world’s fifth biggest economy (ahead of UK and India, behind Germany) and a major car market, and with so much influence on policy in other US states, is sending a drastic signal here that manufacturers need to be ready for a zero-emissions future, and need to be ready fast.
The same has happened with other regulations in the past. California has wide authority to adopt its own clean air regulations because of a longstanding waiver the state has held with the EPA, due to it having its own Clean Air Act passed before the national Clean Air Act was passed. Other states can adopt California’s version of regulations, as long as they take them in an all-or-nothing manner.
The EPA tried to revoke California’s waiver under the leadership of fossil industry advocates Scott Pruitt and Andrew Wheeler. They failed to do so, partially due to pushback from several states, and partially due to a favorable switch in leadership in federal government.
And it’s especially timely that CARB’s vote happened just two days after Senate republicans voted to poison Americans by trying to roll back nationwide EPA truck regulations. That rollback won’t make it past President Biden’s veto pen, but shows the stark contrast between a heavily Democratic state that is working to lower costs and improve health with a broad coalition of support, and a national republican Party that has signaled it wants to do the opposite.
And as a first-of-its-type regulation, from a state so influential in environmental policy not just nationwide but world-wide, it may even inspire other countries into similar action.
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Environment
Prime Day-2 Green Deals: Greenworks electric mini-bike + tools, EGO equipment, Navee sale, Aventon e-bikes, and much more
It’s the second day of Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days event, and we’ve got another jam-packed edition of Green Deals for you, led by a rare price cut on the Greenworks 80V STEALTH Electric Mini-Bike to $1,440. Right behind it is a more sizeable collection of EGO electric tools and equipment getting discounts than we usually see at once, with the brand’s EGO Z6 52-inch Cordless Electric Zero-Turn Riding Lawn Mower coming with six 12.0Ah batteries at $5,600. There’s also Navee’s increased Autumn EV Sale savings starting from $266, and so much more waiting for you below – plus, all the other eco-friendly discounts we couldn’t stuff in here are available within our Prime Day Green Deals hub. And don’t forget to check out yesterday’s edition with the first-day favorites.
Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.
Hop on Greenworks’ 80V STEALTH electric mini-bike with Bluetooth speakers and rare price cut to $1,440 for Prime Day
As part of its Prime Big Deal Days, Amazon is offering a rare price cut on the Greenworks 80V STEALTH Electric Mini Bike to $1,439.99 shipped. Normally sitting up at its full $1,800 price, discounts are pretty rare on this model, as opposed to the few but more frequent savings that hit its counterparts in the brand’s e-transportation series. We saw the price drop to its lowest to $1,349 in May, with the deal here coming in as the second-best rate that saves you $360 off the tag.
This is the most advanced of Greenworks’ e-transportation lineup, which all take advantage of the brand’s versatile and interchangeable batteries for power, letting you get more bang for your buck, especially when you have quite the arsenal of the brand’s tools. The Greenworks 80V STEALTH electric mini-bike is powered by the two included 8.0Ah batteries to carry you for up to 27 miles, only taking two hours to recharge thanks to the 8A dual-port charger. The stylish mini-bike frame houses a 1,000W brushless rear hub STEALTH motor (hence the name), which can top out at 20 MPH when in its Eco mode and up to 25 MPH when set to the Sport mode.
Compared to the other e-bikes in the brand’s series, this model brings along a much larger list of additional features, like the front fork suspension, dual rear shock absorbers, 19-inch all-terrain tires, an integrated headlight and taillight with three settings, an IPX4 water-resistant build, a push-button start, 3-in-1 functionality (forward, neutral, reverse), integrated Bluetooth speakers, an LED screen, and more.
Prime Day drops 52-inch EGO Z6 cordless zero-turn riding mower with 6x 12.0Ah batteries to $5,600, more
As part of its ongoing Prime Big Deal Days, Amazon is offering up to 28% discounts on a collection of EGO Power+ lawn care equipment. One notable price cut during this event is on the newest EGO Z6 52-inch Cordless Electric Zero-Turn Riding Lawn Mower with six 12.0Ah batteries for $5,599.99 shipped. Normally going for $6,999 in full, the few discounts we’ve seen hit it over the year have taken the costs down as low as $5,499, which we last saw at the top of April. The deal here provides a 20% markdown off the going rate, slashing $1,399 off the tag for the third-lowest price we have tracked. You can also find a large number of other tools seeing discounts in the brand’s official storefront here, with the best of them collected together below.
If you want to learn more about this riding mower, as well as browse the other EGO tool discounts, be sure to check out our original coverage of these deals here.
Navee’s Autumn Sale increases EV savings for Prime Day, with its flagship ST3 Pro dropping to $710, more
Navee’s ongoing Autumn EV Sale has increased savings on e-scooters for the week of Prime Day, complete with bonus savings and some free gear too. A notable price cut is coming to the brand’s flagship ST3 Pro Smart Electric Scooter for $709.99 shipped, after using the code AFF50 at checkout for an additional $50 off the price, with the first 30 orders also getting a free chain lock (a $49 value). This model released back in March and carries a $950 MSRP these days, which we’ve mostly seen discounted to $760 during most sales, though there have been falls as low as $685 and $660 in the past. While this event continues, you can score $240 off the going rate for the third-lowest price we have tracked, which also beats out its Amazon pricing by $50.
If you want to learn more about this scooter, either read our in-depth hands-on review or check out our original coverage of this and the other EV deals here.
Best Fall EV deals!
- Velotric Nomad 2X e-bike (camo) with DELTA 3 Plus station: $3,048 (Reg. $3,298)
- Velotric Nomad 2X e-bike (sage or fig) with DELTA 3 Plus station: $2,948 (Reg. $3,298)
- Aventon Ramblas Electric Mountain Bike: $2,599 (Reg. $2,899)
- Ride1Up Prodigy v2 Brose Mid-Drive Gates Belt CVT e-bike: $2,595 (Reg. $2,795)
- Ride1Up Revv 1 DRT Off-Road Moped-Style e-bike: $2,395 (Reg. $2,595)
- Ride1Up Revv 1 Full Suspension Moped-Style e-bike: $2,395 (Reg. $2,595)
- Heybike Hero 750W Mid-Drive Carbon-Fiber All-Terrain e-bike (new low): $2,299 (Reg. $3,099)
- Heybike Hero 1,000W Carbon-Fiber All-Terrain e-bike (new low): $2,099 (Reg. $2,599)
- Velotric Nomad 2 All-Terrain e-bike with $120 bundle (new): $1,999 (No price cut)
- Rad Power Radster Road Commuter e-bike: $1,999 (Reg. $2,199)
- Rad Power Radster Trail Off-Road e-bike: $1,999 (Reg. $2,199)
- Lectric XPedition 2.0 35Ah Cargo e-bike w/ up to $694 bundle: $1,999 (Reg. $2,693)
- Ride1Up Prodigy v2 Brose Mid-Drive 9-Speed e-bike: $1,995 (Reg. $2,495)
- Tenways AGO X All-Terrain e-bike with $307 bundle: $1,899 (Reg. $2,499)
- Lectric ONE Long-Range Belt-Drive e-bike with $220 bundle: $1,899 (Reg. $2,619)
- Velotric Fold 1 Plus e-bike (gray or white) with DELTA 2 station: $1,898 (Reg. $2,198)
- Velotric Fold 1 Plus e-bike (mango or blue) with DELTA 2 station: $1,828 (Reg. $2,198)
- Rad Power RadRunner Plus Cargo Utility e-bike with extra battery: $1,799 (No price cut)
- Aventon Abound SR Smart Cargo e-bike (new, first discount): $1,799 (Reg. $1,899)
- Lectric XP Trike2 750 Long-Range eTrike with $455 preorder bundle: $1,799 (Reg. $2,254)
- Velotric Breeze 1 Cruiser e-bike with $150 bundle (new, first discount): $1,699 (Reg. $1,799)
- Aventon Pace 4 Smart Cruiser e-bike (new, second-ever discount): $1,699 (Reg. $1,799)
- Rad Power RadExpand 5 Plus Folding e-bike (lowest price): $1,699 (Reg. $1,899)
- Lectric XPedition 2.0 26Ah Cargo e-bike w/ $545 bundle: $1,699 (Reg. $2,244)
- Lectric XPeak 2.0 Long-Range Off-Road e-bike with $415 bundle: $1,699 (Reg. $2,114)
- Rad Power RadWagon 4 Cargo e-bike with extra battery: $1,599 (Reg. $1,799)
- Aventon Abound Cargo e-bike: $1,599 (Reg. $1,999)
- Ride1Up VORSA Modular Multi-Use e-bike (first discount): $1,595 (Reg. $1,695)
- Rad Power RadRunner Cargo Utility e-bike with extra battery: $1,499 (No pirce cut)
- Lectric XPeak 2.0 Standard Off-Road e-bike with $247 bundle: $1,499 (Reg. $1,746)
- Lectric XP Trike2 with $257 bundle: $1,499 (Reg. $1,756)
- Rad Power RadWagon 4 Cargo e-bike: $1,499 (Reg. $1,799)
- Tenways CGO600 Pro e-bikes with $118 bundle: $1,499 (Reg. $1,899)
- Velotric Nomad 1 Plus All-Terrain e-bike: $1,499 (Reg. $1,899)
- Aventon Aventure 2 All-Terrain e-bike: $1,499 (Reg. $1,999)
- Greenworks 80V STEALTH Electric Mini-bike (rare discount): $1,440 (Reg. $1,800)
- Aventon Sinch 2 Folding e-bike: $1,399 (Reg. $1,699)
- Lectric XPedition 2.0 13Ah Cargo e-bike with $346 bundle: $1,399 (Reg. $1,745)
- Aventon Level 2 Commuter e-bike: $1,499 (Reg. $1,899)
- Rad Power RadRover 6 Plus Step-Thru Fat Tire e-bike: $1,399 (Reg. $1,599)
- Velotric T1 ST Plus Lightweight e-bike: $1,399 (Reg. $1,649)
- Heybike ALPHA All-Terrain e-bike (new low): $1,399 (Reg. $1,699)
- Ride1Up Roadster V3 Lightweight Premium e-bike: $1,395 (Reg. $1,495)
- Lectric XPress 750 Commuter e-bikes with $415 bundle: $1,299 (Reg. $1,714)
- Lectric XP4 750 LR Folding Utility e-bikes with $394 bundle: $1,299 (Reg. $1,693)
- Heybike Hauler Dual-Battery Cargo e-bike (new low): $1,299 (Reg. $1,899)
- Heybike Horizon Full-Suspension e-bike (second-ever low): $1,299 (Reg. $1,999)
- Heybike Mars 2.0 Folding Fat-Tire e-bike with extra battery: $1,199 (Reg. $1,848)
- Lectric XP Lite 2.0 JW Black LR e-bike with $439 bundle: $1,099 (Reg. $1,538)
- Ride1Up Portola Folding e-bike: $1,095 (Reg. $1,095)
- Lectric XP4 Standard Folding Utility e-bikes with $79 bundle: $999 (Reg. $1,078)
- Lectric XP Lite 2.0 Long-Range e-bikes with $439 bundles: $1,099 (Reg. $1,438)
- Heybike Hauler Single-Battery Cargo e-bike (new low): $899 (Reg. $1,499)
- Segway E3 Pro Electric Scooter (launch): $600 (Reg. $700)
Best new Green Deals landing this week
The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.
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The new Nissan LEAF is among the most affordable electric vehicles in the US, with a starting price under $30,000. Overseas, it’s a different story. To keep pace with BYD, Hyundai, and others, Nissan revealed a new, lower-priced LEAF B5 model in Japan.
Meet the new Nissan LEAF B7, next up is the B5
We got our first look at the third-gen LEAF in June. Although Nissan’s iconic electric hatch was once a top-selling electric vehicle, it was long overdue for an update.
The new LEAF is back and better than ever, boasting a significantly longer driving range, faster charging, and a new crossover SUV-like design.
Even with the improvements, Nissan claims the 2026 LEAF has “the lowest starting MSRP for any new EV currently on sale in the US” at just $29,990. That’s even cheaper than the first model, which arrived in 2011 for $32,780.
Overseas, including in its home market of Japan, it won’t be so easy. Nissan faces stiff competition from lower-cost electric vehicles from BYD, Hyundai, Kia, and several other brands.
Nissan announced plans to launch a new, lower-priced “LEAF B5” model on Wednesday, aiming to fend off the wave of new competition entering the Japanese market.
Nissan said it plans to launch the lower-priced LEAF B5 in February 2026. It will feature a smaller 55 kWh battery and “is expected to be priced more affordably for a wider range of customers,” the company said.
In the meantime, Nissan will open orders for the LEAF B7 in Japan on October 17, with deliveries scheduled to begin in January 2026.
Powered by a 78 kWh battery, the B7 variant delivers a WLTC driving range of up to 702 km (436 miles). Using a 150 kW fast charger, Nissan said it can also recharge from 10% to 80% in 35 minutes.
The third-gen LEAF features a new energy management system and battery conditioning feature to optimize energy consumption.
Inside, the new Nissan LEAF B7 looks about the same as the other model, with a dual 12.3″ display at the center.
Nissan offers two grades, “X” and “G.” The LEAF B7 X starts at 5,188,700 yen ($34,000) while the G model is priced from 5,999,400 yen ($39,300).
Both the B7 and B5 will receive an AUTECH upgrade. The LEAF B7 AUTECH starts at 6,513,100 yen ($42,600), while prices for the B5 version have yet to be announced.
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