Ford, Cummins and others break with industry to support strong EPA truck rule
The EPA is currently finalizing new rules to limit truck emissions, and a group of manufacturers including Ford, Cummins, BorgWarner and Eaton has broken with the industry to support the upcoming “Phase 3” heavy duty emissions rules, while the rest of the industry, led by Volvo and Daimler, continues to lobby against them.
The group of four companies calls itself the Heavy Duty Leadership Group (HDLG), and is launching its effort today to throw its influence behind a strong EPA Phase 3 truck rule.
The new rules have been in the works for some time now and are set to be finalized soon. They would build on EPA’s Phase 1 and Phase 2 truck rules implemented in 2011 and 2016, and would strongly reduce emissions for heavy duty vehicles. The rules would start applying to vehicles in model year 2027, gradually becoming more stringent over time.
The HDLG is formed of “companies of the willing” who have committed to reducing emissions, and each of them has skin in the game in terms of decarbonization of transport – Ford and Cummins produce electric trucks and powertrains, Eaton will be one of the largest suppliers of electrical transformers, and BorgWarner is heavily invested in hydrogen delivery.
The group’s statement of principles covers 6 points:
- The HDLG Companies support EPA’s ongoing efforts to achieve further de-carbonization in the transportation sector through a sound, achievable HD Phase 3 GHG rule that starts in MY 2027. The HDLG companies do not support proposals to delay the start of EPA Phase 3 HD GHG until MY 2030 or later.
- Each of the HDLG Companies has made public commitments to reduce its carbon footprint by aggressively cutting GHG emissions with near-term milestones and long-term net zero goals. These corporate sustainability principles underpin our support for finalization of an EPA Phase 3 GHG rule with urgency and not later than March 31, 2024.
- EPA should make a commitment in the final rule to conduct periodic Technical Assessments of a wide range of factors directly related to the pace of adoption of Zero Emission Tailpipe HD technologies, including: battery technology advancement, availability, and affordability; critical mineral sourcing and cost; deployment of an extensive and available charging/fueling network, supporting electrical grid and fuel infrastructure, and other factors.
- Long-term technology-neutral regulations provide industry with the confidence to deploy capital and resources that will result in high-quality job growth and technology leadership, which are critical in the de-carbonization of the transportation sector. The HDLG companies trust EPA to consider proposing future revisions through new rulemaking, if triggered by any major changes to the factors evaluated in EPA’s Technical Assessments, but the HDLG Companies are opposed to proposals for a “hard-wired off ramp” triggered by an infrastructure development or similar metric.
- Multiple technology pathways exist and must be considered in a technology-neutral manner to achieve EPA’s performance-based HD Phase 3 GHG standards. These solutions include hybrid powertrains; advanced engine technologies; hydrogen combustion; and electric and hydrogen zero tailpipe emission propulsion systems. To ensure technology-neutral, performance-based, standards, EPA should make a regulatory commitment within the Phase 3 Final Rule to propose near-term technical amendments to streamline hybrid certification test procedures.
- Achieving the Administration’s ambitious GHG reductions in the HD sector will require a “Whole of Government “approach involving DOE, DOT, EPA, and other Federal, state, and local government agencies working with the private sector to ensure that IRA and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds are wisely invested across the U.S. economy to leverage a commercially viable HD infrastructure, which accelerates the adoption of zero-emission commercial vehicles.
Here, “off-ramp” refers to industry efforts to water down the Phase 3 rules with mandatory infrastructure checkpoints which, if not met, would invalidate the whole rule. The group opposes those off-ramps, and opposes delays in implementation of the rule.
To these companies, the most important point is regulatory certainty – after the previous administration was so committed to arbitrary & capricious rulemaking, leading to regulatory whiplash, this seems like something that the HDLG would like to avoid.
The phase 3 rule is otherwise being lobbied against by the Truck and Engine Manufacturers’ Association (EMA), a major lobbying group that represents truck manufacturers. The EMA wants to push the rule’s implementation back, and add “off-ramp” language allowing the rule to be scrapped if certain timelines are not met.
The group has quite an extensive member list, oddly including some manufacturers that have committed heavily to electric trucks, like Volvo, Daimler and GM (and even Cummins, who are a member of both HDLG and EMA).
Volvo Group North America and Daimler Truck North America seem to have taken particular interest in this rule, and are using the EMA to lobby against it. But despite lobbying against stronger rules, they still claim publicly to be fully committed to electric trucks. Quite the disconnect. Hmm.
One company that isn’t a member of the EMA, though, is Ford. Ford used to be a member, but broke with the group in 2022 after EMA lobbied against California’s low-NOx regulations.
Since then, EMA has made an agreement with California, signed on to by almost all of the companies mentioned in this article so far, to stop lobbying against clean air rules in exchange for some reasonable compromises. But soon after that agreement, other entities in the trucking industry took up the flag of opposition and are suing the state for the right to poison you and their employees.
Ford was also one of the companies which, along with BMW, Honda, and VW, announced support for California’s emissions regulations in 2019, while the republican-led EPA unsuccessfully tried to force dirty air on the state.
Meanwhile, Cummins recently got in big trouble with both the federal government and California, with a $2 billion penalty for violating emissions regulations with its diesel engines, echoing shades of the famed “dieselgate” scandal which VW and many other auto companies were involved in.
The HDLG doesn’t intend to stop with just these four companies though, and the group welcomes other companies to commit to its statement of principles and join their commitment to a path to decarbonizing the transportation sector.
Electrek’s Take
The one part of this “statement of principles” I worry about is point 5, which mentions “technology neutral” regulations that include “advanced engine technologies” (as if those even exist) and “hydrogen combustion” and other various watering-down of the goals of zero emission trucking. This sort of language has been used by industry many times in order to slow progress, so it’s a little troubling to see it here.
Hydrogen combustion, in particular, is troubling as it is currently counted as zero emissions by the EPA, but it really is not zero emission at all. Virtually all hydrogen produced today comes from fossil fuels (so-called “blue” hydrogen), not from cleaner sources like electrolysis of water (“green” hydrogen, aka, the better kind).
HDLG thinks it can be used to reduce emissions in the short-term while hydrogen infrastructure is built up to service future fuel cell vehicles. This could be a fair point, if we think hydrogen will ever become a viable transportation fuel (for consumer vehicles, likely not, but for heavy duty vehicles, it might find a useful niche).
However, the Union of Concerned scientists calls hydrogen combustion a “dead end” and a “bridge to nowhere,” and says the EPA must close the hydrogen combustion “loophole” and leave it out of the HD phase 3 rules.
That said, regarding the “technology neutral” language, EPA’s recent car rules were also written in a technology-neutral manner, and in that case, I consider this a real strength of those particular rules. Instead of proscribing a particular path to get to emissions reductions, the EPA rules center emissions reductions as the matter of first importance, and allow companies to use whatever methods they can to get to the stated goals. If you can somehow make a gas car 4x more efficient, then so be it – it’s just that, well, you can’t, so you’re probably going to end up going electric anyway, which we all know is where things are going so why is everyone trying to fight it anyway.
But keeping things technology neutral does still open up other clever options, like electric trailers, which can be done to immediately reduce a fleet’s emissions without having to modify any engine components whatsoever. Solutions like that may not be the end-all of zero emission trucking, but can help us fill the gap on the way to a zero emissions future.
So while I’m still a bit wary of the “technology neutral” language, and particularly the mention of “advanced engine technologies” and hydrogen combustion, I’m willing to take this move as an overall positive, since it can be rare to see industry supporting regulations, and here we have an example of some big players throwing their weight behind better emissions rules. So that’s nice to see.
Now, if only Volvo and Daimler could embrace the new rule instead of lobbying against them, and act like the zero-emission leaders they claim to be publicly, we could start making some progress on this “regulatory certainty” that companies are supposed to be so fond of.
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Tesla’s stock (TSLA) crashed by as much as 5% in pre-market trading after President Trump threatened to set DOGE on Elon Musk, who has been criticizing his ‘Big Beautiful Bill’.
After being kindly shown the door to the White House last month, Musk had a brief moment of clarity and started to criticize Trump and the Republican party, which he helped elect with almost $300 million of his own money in the 2024 elections.
He highlighted how Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” is expected to increase the deficit and debt. The Tesla CEO even linked Trump to Jeffrey Epstein, something that has been well known for decades, but Musk conveniently ignored it as he was backing the President and wearing hats that read, “Trump was right about everything.”
Musk quickly calmed down and even apologized for “going too far” and started praising Trump again.
That didn’t last long.
Over the last few days, as the Senate attempts to pass Trump’s budget and tax bill, Musk has renewed his efforts to halt the legislation.
The CEO appeared to renew the attacks after the Senate updated the bill to kill the EV incentive sooner and to increase taxes on solar and wind projects.
However, Musk said that he doesn’t mind EV and renewable energy subsidies going away, but he believes that fossil fuel subsidies should also be removed, which is not in the plans at all.
Trump campaigned on Musk’s money, claiming that he would get America to “drill, baby, drill” again.
The CEO went as far as threatening any Senator who vote for the bill, all Republicans, to face his money in their next primary. He added that if the bill passes, he will create a new “America Party.’
Musk’s attacks have focused on the bill itself and the Republicans voting for it, but Trump likes to call it his bill, and unsurprisingly, he is unhappy with Musk.
Last night, he took to Truth Social to highlight again that Musk “would probably have to close up shop and head back to South Africa” without US government subsidies.
The President then suggested that he could have DOGE, a department that Musk created, go after him and the subsidies that his companies get:
Elon Musk knew, long before he so strongly Endorsed me for President, that I was strongly against the EV Mandate. It is ridiculous, and was always a major part of my campaign. Electric cars are fine, but not everyone should be forced to own one. Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa. No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE. Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!
Tesla’s stock dropped by more than 4% in pre-market trading following the President’s threat.
Musk responded to the President by pointing out that he is asking to remove the subsidies, but he didn’t add his usual caveat of also removing all subsidies for fossil fuel.
Electrek’s Take
It’s both sad and funny to see Elon now. It’s sad because the US is plunging back into an energy dark age of relying on fossil fuels. Still, it’s amusing because Elon is acting as if he’s just now realizing what he has done, despite everyone but a few cult members screaming at him that this was going to happen for the last year.
Elon got what he wanted out of Trump with his $300 million, and now, he realizes that his influence has limits and that Trump is going to do way more damage than just what Musk wanted out of him: to stop illegal immigration and the so scary “woke mind virus.”
The result will be a significant blow to the growth of electric vehicles and clean energy in the US, and Tesla will be affected in the process, exactly what we have been saying for the last year.
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Police across the US are cracking down on illegal use of out-of-class e-bikes or non-street-legal electric motorcycles used on public roads. It used to be that if you sped off on an illegal electric dirt bike or mini bike after a traffic stop in California, there was a good chance you’d get away. Most police departments don’t want to engage in high-speed chases over these types of violations, especially if the rider isn’t wearing a helmet or is weaving through dense traffic. And since these types of bikes almost never have license plates, merely outrunning or outmaneuvering a police cruiser through some bushes or over a sidewalk was usually enough to evade justice. But lately, a new kind of chase is happening – from above.
Several California police departments are now turning to small, simple-to-operate drones similar to consumer drones to track down illegal e-bike and electric dirt bike riders who flee traffic stops.
These drones, often built on platforms used by consumer drones but with upgraded camera equipment, are quiet, effective, and don’t put pedestrians or officers at risk like a high-speed pursuit.
And while the tech isn’t new, the way it’s being deployed marks a turning point in how cities are responding to the rise of unregistered, high-powered electric motorbikes and minibikes on public roads.
Recently, the Irvine Police Department shared details on how they caught a minor who was illegally operating a Stark Varg electric dirt bike on public roads and then sped away from police attempting to conduct a traffic stop.
“A 16-year-old juvenile recklessly fled from officers during an attempted traffic stop on Jamboree, reaching high speeds. The rider ran multiple red lights, placing innocent lives in danger. Thankfully, with the assistance of our drone team, officers quickly located the teenager and safely took him into custody. He was later released to his parent. The juvenile was unlicensed, and the motorcycle was purchased by a parent who knowingly allowed their child to ride it. That parent was cited, and the motorcycle was impounded.”
In a similar case just a few weeks ago, the Desert Hot Springs Police Department used a similar drone setup to catch a juvenile illegally operating a non-street-legal minibike on public roads.
As the department shared in a social media post mocking the rider, “Officers attempted to stop a suspect illegally riding a mini bike on city streets. Instead of pulling over like a reasonable person, he chose to flee… on a mini bike. Little did he know, our drone team was already in the air and had front-row seats to this low-speed drama. They followed him as he weaved through traffic, blew through stop signs, and ultimately led us right back to his own front door.”
The DHSPD explained that after the drone watched from above and followed the rider home, police officers arrived and knocked on his front door, which he promptly answered. “He was arrested at his residence without incident,” the post continued. “The mini bike? Impounded. The escape attempt? Hilarious.”
Some police departments in California are still employing police helicopters as their go-to “eye in the sky” for tracking Sur-ron riders who try to run from police, but these light and inexpensive drones are proving to be a more cost-effective and efficient alternative.
The rise of unregistered and often illegally modified electric motorbikes that don’t fit inside existing three-class electric bicycle regulations – many of them closer to light motorcycles than bicycles – has created a real challenge for cities. Riders can disappear down alleyways, weave through traffic, or vanish into neighborhoods where a patrol car can’t follow.
But a few grand for a simple drone? That’s a safer, cheaper solution that can hover and follow quietly from above, sometimes all the way to a suspect’s front door.
This drone-based enforcement strategy raises some interesting questions – not just about surveillance, but about how cities will regulate a fast-evolving micromobility landscape. As out-of-class electric bikes and light electric dirt bikes blur legal categories and create enforcement gaps, tech like drones is stepping in to close them.
Whether that’s a good thing or not depends on your perspective. But one thing’s for sure: the days of just gunning it and getting away are coming to an end.
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The Dodge Charger Daytona EV made headlines when it rolled out fake engine noises as a way to make the EV appeal to muscle car drivers. As it turns out, they weren’t the right sort of fake engine noises – and now Stellantis has to recall 8,000 of them for a fix.
According to the ChryCo fans at Mopar Insider, Stellantis is recalling ~8,390 examples of its 2024 to 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EVs because of an exterior amplifier that may be missing critical enabling the amp to emit exterior sounds – including the Federally mandated pedestrian warning sounds designed to keep pedestrians safe.
What’s more, the recall’s “suspect period” reportedly begins on 30APR2024, when the first 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona was produced, and ends 18MAR2025 … when the last Charger EV was produced.
RECALL CHRONOLOGY
- On April 17, 2025, the FCA US LLC (“FCA US”) Technical Safety and Regulatory Compliance (“TSRC”) organization opened an investigation into certain 2024–2025 model year Dodge Charger vehicles that may not emit exterior sound.
- From April 17, 2025, through May 13, 2025, FCA US TSRC met with FCA US Engineering and the supplier to understand all potential failure modes associated with the issue. They also reviewed warranty data, field records, and customer assistance records to determine field occurrences.
- On May 14, 2025, the FCA US TSRC organization determined that a vehicle build issue existed on certain vehicles related to a lack of EV exterior sound, potentially resulting in noncompliance with FMVSS No. 141.
Without the software patch, the vehicles don’t comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) No. 141, “Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles.” The rule requires noisemakers for EVs and hybrids when operating under 19 mph, the safest speeds for pedestrians.
Basically, if you have a Dodge Charger EV, expect to get a recall notice.
It just keeps getting funnier
If you’re not familiar with the Charger Daytona EV’s “Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust,” it’s a system that employs a combination of digital sound synthesis and a physical tuning chamber (translation: a speaker) to produce a 126 decibel sound that approximately imitates a Hellcat Hemi V8 ICE. That’s loud enough to cause most people physical pain, according to Yale University – putting it somewhere between a loud rock concert and a passenger jet at takeoff.
While you could argue that such noises are part and parcel with powerful combustion, they’re completely irrelevant to an EV, and speak to a particular sort of infantile delusion of masculinity that I, frankly, have never been able to wrap my head around. Something akin to the, “Hey, look at me! I’m a big tough guy!” attention-whoring of a suburban Harley rider in a “Sons of Anarchy” novelty cut, without even enough courage to ride a motorcycle, you know?
You know – and I bet you can help me dial in the the comparison to perfection (and help me explain why the car just isn’t selling) in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
SOURCE: Mopar Insiders; featured image by Stellantis.
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