Cal Cities secures major changes to Advanced Clean Fleet rule for cities

By Damon Conklin, legislative advocate (transportation)

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) last Thursday unanimously adopted a resolution that would significantly alter the Advanced Clean Fleets regulation. Verbal and written city testimony made in response to Cal Cities' call to action proved critical to securing the changes.

Specifically, the amendments would:

• Allow small fleets (under 10 vehicles) and those in low-population counties to wait until 2030 before buying any ZEVs.
• Extend the current 50% zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) purchase requirements to 2030 for all other cities. In 2030, the 100% ZEV purchase requirement will kick in for all cities.
• Create more flexibility for the Milestone Option, which allows agencies to grow their ZEVs by percentage of the fleet according to a published schedule.
• Direct CARB staff to continue working with stakeholders to improve the exemption pathways available to public fleets, including mutual aid, ZEV purchases, and daily usage exemptions.

CARB also deleted elements of the regulation applicable to High-Priority, Federal, and Drayage Fleets that were challenged in court or repealed by Congress and the federal administration.

Additionally, CARB adopted a modest change to its Low Carbon Fuel Standard regulation, modifying the crediting system for medium- and light-duty hydrogen refueling infrastructure (HRI) to improve incentives and accelerate HRI. The changes will allow public stations to receive credits for 100% of their nameplate capacity and private stations for 50% of their capacity.

The Office of Administrative Law must review the language before it goes into effect, which should happen before January 2027. Cal Cities will continue to work with CARB to provide additional exemptions, extensions, and other pathways for compliance.

CARB opened up the regulations in response to legislation passed over concerns that emergency responders and local utilities could not find enough ZEVs to replace older specialty vehicles. The new amendments go beyond that to include all public fleets.

While the rules are changing, ZEV truck sales in California are continuing to grow. Recently, CARB announced ZEV truck sales for 2024 accounted for about 23% of total truck sales, an increase from nearly 16% the year prior.

For more information, please read CARB's press release on the changes.