Major companies urge EPA to finalize the strongest heavy-duty vehicle emissions standards possible to curb transportation pollution

On the heels of COP28—a global convening of world leaders working to address the climate crisis—commercial fleet operators are urging the Environmental Protection Agency to finalize stringent greenhouse gas emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles as soon as possible. 

In a letter sent to the EPA on Monday, members of the Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance—a coalition of now 33 major U.S. companies representing more than $1.1 trillion in annual revenue and that own, lease or operate more than 2.5 million fleet vehicles in the U.S.—reiterated the need for strong standards to meet national climate and economic goals as well as their own corporate sustainability goals. They also highlighted the technical and economic feasibility of the widespread commercial fleet electrification that would result from strong standards.  

Members of the Alliance include companies like Siemens, Verizon, Best Buy, and Ferguson. This is the second letter from the Alliance to the EPA urging passage of strong heavy-duty vehicle emissions standards that are aligned with California’s Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) rule. The letter once again emphasized the need for strong standards to set clear market expectations, safeguard public health, and ensure they as fleet operators can access the clean vehicles they need to achieve their sustainability and climate goals and reduce their high fuel and maintenance costs. 

“At this critical time ahead of the standards being finalized, the Alliance is further weighing in to emphasize our support for strong ACT-alignment, and the technical and economic feasibility of widespread commercial fleet electrification that would result from strong standards,” they wrote in the letter.  

The letter also underscored that the growing number of companies committed to transitioning to zero-emission trucks is a sign that zero-emission trucks are both operationally and financially viable options for a significant number of use cases. Furthermore, studies showing that the U.S. grid will be able to accommodate the relatively modest growth in national electricity generation from the transition to zero-emission trucks, another signal of the feasibility of these rules.  

“Leading companies are embracing the transition to zero-emission vehicles to reduce their operating costs and meet climate goals. Market-enabling policies and regulations like the Phase 3 standards are critical to growing the market and expanding access to zero-emission models that will help businesses achieve their goals,” said Sara Forni, director of electric vehicles and the Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance at Ceres said. “Strong standards help accelerate the economies of scale that drive down upfront costs and enable the successful electrification of commercial vehicles. The sooner manufacturers ramp up sales of clean trucks, the earlier fleet owners and operators will be able access the models that meet their needs and the earlier their customers, communities, and the economy will be able to reap the benefits.”  

The Alliance also submitted a letter in June urging the EPA to align all vehicle standards with U.S. climate and public health goals to ensure a diverse supply of cost-competitive zero-emission vehicles to meet long-term corporate demand. Dozens of other companies have also offered their support for strong vehicle emissions standards in letters to the EPA and in private meetings with EPA officials, making the business case for vehicle standards that spur the transition to zero-emission trucks at the pace and scale necessary to meet the 2030 and 2050 U.S. climate commitments. 

Alliance members operate more than 300,000 medium- and heavy-duty vehicles across the U.S. and plan to procure more than 60,000 zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles by 2026. While members are committed to electrifying their fleets, and new federal incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 have helped make zero-emission vehicles more affordable, they face a shared challenge of accessing zero-emission vehicle models that meet the unique needs of their businesses at scale. Strong standards would help to address that challenge. 

About Ceres

Ceres is a nonprofit organization working with the most influential capital market leaders to solve the world’s greatest sustainability challenges. Through our powerful networks and global collaborations of investors, companies and nonprofits, we drive action and inspire equitable market-based and policy solutions throughout the economy to build a just and sustainable future. For more information, visit ceres.org and follow @CeresNews.