欧美文化:News Analysis: Bumpy road ahead for American truck makers to deal with zero emissions in Califo

SACRAMENTO, United States, July 9 (Xinhua) -- California, the largest market for the U.S. trucking industry, and the country's top truck manufacturers reached a deal on the state's zero-emission rules, but it remained to be seen how the deal, with potential impact on other states, would play out.

California Air Resources Board (CARB), the state's air regulator, reached an agreement with the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association (TEMA) on Thursday on the state's plan to phase out traditional combustion trucks.

The deal, for which both parties made some compromises, was expected to avoid a legal battle and smooth the trucking industry's transition to zero-emission standards.

California has been leading the country in fighting climate change and has set more stringent emission standards than other states so far.

In April, the state approved a new regulation to phase out the sales of medium- and heavy-duty combustion trucks in the state by 2036, in order to achieve the goal of 100 percent zero-emission trucks on the roads by 2045.

The state's plans then met with strong opposition from the country's trucking associations, including TEMA, which criticized the goals for being economically and practically unfeasible.

As a result of months of negotiations, CARB agreed to align with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s 2027 regulations for nitrogen oxide emissions, which are less stringent.

As part of the agreement, the state agency also gave the truck manufacturers no less than four years of lead time and at least three years of regulatory stability before imposing new requirements.

CARB's compromises were called Friday by the KTVU, a television station licensed to Oakland, California, as "an almost unheard of move" for the agency who is charged with implementing the Golden State's comprehensive suite of policies to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.

In return, the truck manufacturers accepted California's zero-emission standards.

The agreement was seen as a win-win outcome, as California Governor Gavin Newsom praised the truck manufacturers' efforts to slash air pollution and TEMA President Jed Mandel applauded California's move to align its truck emission rules with the federal requirements.

Environmental groups also welcomed the agreement, saying it's overdue for California to shift trucks to zero emissions.

Trucks are the largest source of diesel particulate matter in California, which is responsible for 70 percent of cancer risk related to air toxins in the state, according to Earthjustice, an environmental law organization.

However, some business insiders and industry analysts raised concerns that inadequate infrastructure poses challenges for the state's ambitious goals.

Zero-emission vehicles mainly depend on two technologies: battery-electric powertrains and hydrogen fuel cells. The biggest challenge for both technologies would be infrastructure.

First, the amount of electricity needed to recharge a fleet of heavy-duty electric trucks would be enormous, but electric utilities are way behind providing massive-scale infrastructure.

"When you have thousands of trucks that have to plug in overnight, that amounts to be the equivalent of a small city," Joe Rajkovacz, director of governmental affairs & communication of Western States Trucking Association, told KTVU.

Likewise, it's costly to produce and deliver hydrogen fuel to service stations at this stage. The industry would need major investment to make hydrogen-fueled commercial vehicles viable in the near term.

The development of hydrogen fueling stations is a resource- and time-intensive exercise, with costs currently estimated at around 2 million U.S. dollars per station, according to an April analysis by Pamela Wu, a partner at California-based law firm Morgan Lewis.

While Thursday's agreement avoided a potential legal challenge from truck manufacturers, CARB still faced dozens of greenhouse gas-related lawsuits from companies, associations and other states, the agency's website showed.

Among the latest cases is the one filed by 18 states against the federal government for granting California waivers to set its own truck emissions rules.

Under the Clean Air Act, states are allowed to adopt California's emissions standards instead of federal ones. So far, 17 states and the District of Columbia follow California's rule.

The 18 states which sued the government said California had no right to make decisions on behalf of other states.

For instance, Brenna Bird, the attorney general for the State of Iowa blasted California's truck emissions regulations for "leaving rural American in dust," as "charging stations are scarce in the countryside."

In response, Newsom, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, and CARB led a multi-state coalition last week to intervene in the lawsuits, defending EPA's waiver for California's truck emission regulations.