EPA finalizes strongest-ever truck rule to save billions in health & fuel costs
EPA’s Heavy Duty “Phase 3” truck rule has been finalized, and surprisingly enough it comes in stronger (albeit slightly) than the rule that was originally proposed last year.
The final rule has just come out, so there’s plenty to comb through, but the EPA went over some key points in a press call yesterday.
Transportation is the largest-polluting sector in America, and heavy duty vehicles make a disproportionate amount of that pollution. Light duty vehicles still produce the majority – about 60% of transportation emissions are from light-duty vehicles – but heavy duty vehicles are responsible for about a quarter of transportation emissions, despite only being 5% of vehicles.
This underlines the importance of regulating these vehicles, and the outsize gains that we can get from doing so.
New rule saves 1 billion tons CO2 and $13 billion/yr
The main numbers for the finalized rule are that it will save $13 billion per year in annualized net benefits for society, avoid a billion tons worth of greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce air pollution for the 72 million Americans who live within 200 meters of a heavy duty truck route (a group that is disproportionately from disadvantaged communities). The rules cover model years 2027-2032.
The cost and health savings make these rules a rare win-win-win. Businesses save money on costs (approx. $3.5b annually, between $3-10k per vehicle depending on type), health and environmental savings benefit everybody, and the industry gets nudged towards a future that it needs to accept anyway. Or, well… not that rare, considering most positive environmental moves offer these sorts of benefits.
Like the light-duty rules, the heavy-duty rules are “technology neutral,” in that they don’t mandate manufacturers use specific technologies, but rather meet certain pollution guidelines that will require significant improvements in engine technologies used. This means hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery-electric and fuel cell vehicles are all on the table.
The rule actually got stronger for once
And the most remarkable thing about the rules is that they actually got (very slightly) stronger between the proposed and final rule, due to the 175,000 comments EPA said were left during the comment period.
EPA originally stated that the proposed rule would reduce carbon by 1.8 billion tons, but had to re-do the baseline of these calculations due to California’s strong truck rules, which will reduce overall emissions by a huge chunk (both in California and other states). Now, EPA says that the proposed rule would have reduced carbon by 998 million tons under the revised baseline, or 1 billion tons for the final rule. So, only improved by .2%, but still a tiny improvement, as opposed to going in the other direction.
This is not a common occurrence – we pointed out last week that the opposite happened with light-duty rules, and that this seems to be depressingly common lately. Whenever a new rule comes out, no matter how well-reasoned and attainable, industry lobbies for it to be loosened (and not just in the US, see: Europe, Australia), and usually compromises go their way, not the public’s way.
The changes between the proposed rule and the final one include a softening of the rules from 2027-2030 to give companies more time to arrange charging infrastructure, but also stronger emissions limits in 2031 and 2032 for most vehicle classes. For example, certain medium-heavy vocational vehicles will have 40% stronger limits in 2032 in the final rule as compared to Phase 2 regulation, rather than 35% in the proposed rule.
EPA didn’t break down every change between the proposed and final rule on the press call, because this rule covers so many different classes of vehicle. But overall, this is an improvement compared to the changes in the light duty rules – those only got weaker, whereas these got stronger, just with a little more flexibility in adoption timelines.
Broadly positive reaction to the heavy duty truck rule
Reaction has been broadly positive to the adoption of these phase 3 rules. The American Lung Association celebrated the rules, which along with the EPA’s previous NOx rule brings $22b in health savings per year, and pointed out the rarity of rules getting stronger during the rulemaking process. It also noted that Americans support strong truck regulations by extremely wide margins. Praise also came from the Sierra Club, the Hip Hop Council (who focused on the environmental justice aspect of these rules), and even from industry representatives.
Some industry sources did oppose these rules, or ask for them to be scaled back, such as various oil companies and some truck makers (for example Daimler Trucks and Volvo Trucks, both of which publicly supported the rule but privately called for its delay, despite being leaders in electrified trucks). But several large groups supported them.
In the runup to adoption of the rule, 100+ businesses called for a strong truck standard. This included a newly-formed industry group called the Heavy Duty Leadership Group, which called for rapid approval of a strong EPA rule, and each of its four participants – Ford, Cummins, BorgWarner and Eaton made statements praising the final rule that EPA adopted today. Even military leaders had good things to say about the new rule, through SAFE, an organization that advocates a break from oil from an energy and national security perspective.
How the Biden Administration has helped electrification from every angle
One strength of the rules is how comprehensive they are, especially when considering parallel regulations and incentives created by the administration. Many have pointed to individual EPA rules and stated that they are too narrow, or don’t properly acknowledge the full picture of how electrification would work. But when taken as a whole, the actions done by the EPA and the Biden administration cover almost every conceivable angle of the electrification of transportation.
This rule regulates truck carbon emissions, but another rule regulated smog-forming emissions, and another one regulated railroads, and we still have one coming to increase fleet mpg requirements (building on a change in EV mpg calculations so manufacturers can’t just build a few compliance EVs).
To take care of upfront costs, the Inflation Reduction Act includes commercial credits for both ZEV truck purchases and charger installations (and domestic production provisions and incentives, too). The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law incentivizes chargers further. Ports get specific support from the Clean Ports Program, as do school buses, and the EPA is ensuring that California will remain a testbed for even better environmental rules. The administration also recently released a master infrastructure plan to electrifying all the US’ freight routes by 2040.
So… that takes care of just about everything, right?
Electrek’s Take
As we always say, we’d never mind stronger rules than those that get implemented. We need to electrify transportation, and soon, and we simply aren’t doing enough to fight climate change.
But despite my constant “why not sooner?” headlines, I have been particularly impressed by recent truck regulations in this country (both California’s and this new EPA rule). I also think the EPA’s light-duty rule is exceedingly well-reasoned and works towards fixing some huge problems (like vehicle size), though the original proposal was better.
And that’s the most impressive part about this rule. I lamented in the Take for the light-duty rule that regulations seem to always get compromised in favor of polluters, never in favor of the public interest. But this time, that didn’t happen – it’s a compromise, and the polluters did get a little bit of what they wanted, but the public also got even better final regulations than we originally were going to get, and it balanced out to a very slightly better rule in the end.
Like the Lung Association said (understatedly): “this does not always happen.” And yet, today, it did.
We can all be glad for that – and the 72 million Americans who live within 200 meters of a truck route, especially, will get to breathe a lot more cleanly in the coming years.
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Rivian (RIVN) had the best-selling electric van in the US last year, topping Ford for the title. The electric delivery van (EDV) is rolling out across the US through its partnership with Amazon, but Rivian is expanding with new customers.
Rivian EDV was the best-selling electric van in the US
With over 51,500 electric vehicles delivered in 2024, Rivian beat expectations. Although it was only slightly higher than the 50,122 delivered in 2023, things picked up in the second half of the year.
Rivian shut down its manufacturing plant in Normal, IL, last April to introduce new upgrades designed to cut costs and increase efficiency.
To make matters worse, Rivian had to temporarily pause electric van production last summer due to a part shortage.
After releasing fourth quarter and full-year 2024 delivery and production figures in early January, Rivian said, “The previously discussed shortage of a shared component on the R1 and RCV platforms is no longer a constraint.”
New Kelley Blue Book estimates show that Rivian outpaced Ford with America’s best-selling electric van in 2024.
| Q4 2024 sales | YOY | Full-year 2024 sales | YOY | |
| Rivian EDV | 4,397 | +84.1% | 13,423 | +65.9% |
| Ford E-Transit | 3,354 | +56.5% | 12,610 | +64.4% |
Rivian sold 13,423 electric vans in the US last year, up 67% from 2023. In comparison, Ford sold 12,610 E-Transit vans in the US in 2024. In the fourth quarter, Rivian outpaced Ford, with nearly 4,400 EDVs sold compared to 3,354 E-Transit sales.
The accomplishment comes despite Ford introducing the updated E-Transit last March with a bigger battery and faster charging. In October, the 2025 E-Transit hit the market with the same price as “comparable gas Transit models,” according to Ford, starting at $51,000.
Rivian has already secured a commitment from Amazon for up to 100,000 EDVs, but it also offers its commercial van (RCV), which is designed for other companies.
Over the past few weeks, Rivian electric vans with different brandings have been spotted testing, including logistics giant DHL.
As the Rivian scales production, its R1S electric SUV was also the tenth best-selling electric vehicle in the US last year.
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A young EV startup called TELO Trucks has announced a partnership with solar EV developer Aptera to utilize the latter’s sustainable technology on its flagship vehicle, the MT1 compact pickup. Customers who pre-order a TELO electric truck will be able to choose from three Aptera solar panel configurations, helping boost the vehicle’s range while reducing grid dependency—as long as these BEVs get made.
TELO Trucks was founded by three gentlemen with various backgrounds in automotive technologies and creative design, including autonomy and ADAS at National Instruments and Roadster development during Tesla’s early days.
The startup launched its flagship MT1 compact electric pickup truck in June of 2023, which looks like an exciting exercise in space optimization. The MT1 features the bed capacity and crew cabin of a standard pickup truck within an impressively shortened vehicle length of 152 inches. As you can see in TELO’s image below, the MT1 offers the same interior cabin space and bed length as a Toyota Tacoma in the footprint of a MINI Cooper.
Since its unveiling, TELO says it has garnered over 4,550 pre-orders of the MT1, which is currently available in single and dual motors configurations, and the option for a long-range battery pack that promises a range upwards of 350 miles.
Soon, TELO will offer early customers additional options in its truck configurator – solar panels from Aptera Motors.
TELO to offer Aptera solar panels on its truck pre-orders
Aptera shared a blog post outlining the details of its new collaboration with TELO Trucks, which entails integrating solar panels of varying configurations into the MT1s that remain in development at this point. The partnership will enable TELO to offer pre-order customers the option to add up to three Aptera solar panel kits to their truck configuration:
- Rooftop Truck Cab Solar Paneling – Integrated panels over the cab maximize daily energy generation.
- Tonneau Truck Bed Cover Solar Paneling – A solar-equipped bed cover adds power while preserving storage versatility.
- Camper Shell Solar Paneling – Panels extending from the cab over the bed increase charging capacity and storage options.
Aptera says its proprietary solar panels can generate up to 200 watts when exposed to peak sunlight, translating to about 1 to 2 kWh of free energy from the sun per day, depending on the location of the vehicle and the given season. This partnership news follows a successful showing from the solar EV startup at CES 2025 in Las Vegas as it continues to trudge forward in hopes of reaching scaled SEV production.
Although Aptera’s flagship solar EV is further down the development path than the TELO truck, both are trying to pave a new path in sustainable mobility and have paired up in hopes of continuing that uphill battle together. Per Aptera co-founder and co-CEO Steve Fambro:
Our unique curved solar cell design makes it the perfect application to propel automotive utility further than ever before. Together with TELO, we’re harnessing the power of the sun to make life off the grid a reality for everyone by putting the sun to work for them.
TELO and Aptera shared that the three solar panel options outlined above will become available on MT1 truck pre-orders later this year. TELO says its first fully realized drivable truck prototype is being assembled now by Aria Group, so hopefully, we can move on from renderings and see some bonafide production-intent solar electric trucks soon. TELO co-founder and CEO Jason Marks also spoke:
Whether buyers are looking for a commuter vehicle, a safer, more sustainable option to serve their family’s needs, a rugged, dependable pickup truck for outdoor adventuring, or a highly-functional fleet & vehicle that increases their business’s efficiency, TELO continues to be a first-in-class automotive option to satisfy the many needs of car buyers.
For now, you can reserve a TELO MT1 for $152 – a nod to the overall length of the stubby pickup.
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A group of Oklahoma solar farms collectively generating a whopping 724 megawatts (MW) will power Google’s data center operations and artificial intelligence (AI) with long-term power purchase agreements.
Leeward Renewable Energy announced that the solar farms are strategically sited to support Google’s operations and bolster Oklahoma’s grid.
Construction has begun on the 372-MW Mayes County Solar Portfolio, located within a mile of Google’s data center in Pryor, Oklahoma, northeast of Tulsa. Together with the 152.5 MW Twelvemile Solar Project 1 & 2 and the 200 MW Twelvemile 3 Solar Project in southern Oklahoma, the projects total 724 MW of solar capacity.
The Mayes County Solar portfolio is capable of powering the equivalent of over 865,000 homes annually and avoiding over 3.7 million metric tons of CO2 emissions over the term of the power purchase agreement.
Leeward Renewable Energy purchased the Mayes County Solar Portfolio earlier this year from Red River Renewable Energy. The energy generated by the solar portfolio is delivered to Oklahoma’s largest utility, Grand River Dam Authority, which will power Google’s data center with clean energy.
The Mayes County Solar Portfolio includes three solar projects: 145 MW Salt Branch Solar, 125 MW Huckleberry Solar, and 102 MW Mayes Solar. Together, these projects will create over 300 construction jobs and generate an estimated $76 million in tax revenue for Mayes County over their lifespans – funds that will go toward essential county initiatives and schools. More than $60,000 has already been donated to local organizations like the Red Cross, the Chamber of Commerce, and other key services, giving an extra boost to community resources. They’re expected to come online by the end of the year.
“By partnering with Grand River Dam Authority and Leeward Renewable Energy, Google is furthering its ambition to power our facilities, including those in Oklahoma, with carbon-free energy around the clock by 2030,” said Amanda Peterson Corio, global head of data center energy at Google. “These power purchase agreements demonstrate how our scalable procurement approach is transforming the acquisition of clean energy and accelerating the development of carbon-free energy sources.“
In August 2024, research released by CBRE Group found that the amount of data center supply under construction in North America’s top markets jumped by about 70% year-over-year to a record 3.9 gigawatts of power, Reuters reported.
Read more: 3 of Oklahoma’s first NEVI EV charging stations will be Tesla Superchargers
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