Volvo Trucks Awarded $21.7M to Deploy 70 Zero-Emission Trucks
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District have awarded Volvo Trucks North America $21.7 million in grants to support the manufacturer in deploying 70 zero-emission trucks in Southern California.
The EPA’s Targeted Air Shed Grant Program provided $20 million while the South Coast AQMD added another $1.7 million to bolster charging infrastructure. With this funding, they hope to improve Southern California’s air quality.
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Volvo Trucks says the grant will enable “the nation’s largest commercial deployment of Class 8 battery-electric trucks.” It plans to deliver the EPA-funded trucks to Southern California starting in 2021 through the third quarter of 2022.
The zero-emission Volvo VNR Electric truck is expected to officially commercially launch later this year. While the EPA’s funding covers the deployment of 70 of these trucks, Volvo will bring the total to nearly 100 via additional trucks deployed through the Volvo LIGHTS project.
According to the manufacturer, the 70 trucks will, throughout their lifetime, provide an estimated emission reduction benefit exceeding 152 tons of NOx, 1.3 tons of PM2.5, and 53,160 tons of CO2. It will serve as a pilot project for the South Coast AQMD to analyze the effectiveness of battery-electric trucks in reducing emissions.
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“Innovative collaborations like this are key to bringing clean air to Southern California,” said Wayne Nastri, executive officer for South Coast AQMD. “South Coast AQMD is pleased to fund the charging infrastructure to support these new heavy-duty trucks that will operate in disadvantaged communities facing the brunt of air pollution.”
Up to 100 zero-emission trucks are a drop in the bucket even if the comparison is limited to the total number of trucks employed in Southern Californian freight distribution and drayage operations. But it’s a start. Volvo’s VNR Electric truck and Toyota’s hydrogen fuel cell Class 8 truck could mark the beginning of a clean future in heavy-duty transportation.
Kurt Verlin was born in France and lives in the United States. Throughout his life he was always told French was the language of romance, but it was English he fell in love with. He likes cats, music, cars, 30 Rock, Formula 1, and pretending to be a race car driver in simulators; but most of all, he just likes to write about it all. See more articles by Kurt.