California Reaches $599 Million in Zero-Emission Vehicle Investments
So far, California Climate Investments have supported electric school buses in Sacramento, electric yard trucks in Fontana, hydrogen-powered buses in the Coachella Valley, and a fleet of electric delivery trucks for Goodwill Industries in the Bay Area.
California Climate Investments in zero-emission vehicles have reached $599 million since 2013, meaning hundreds of thousands of ultra-clean cars and fleets of zero-emission trucks and buses are operating on California roads and highways, the California Air Resources Board announced May 3 during the annual Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in Long Beach. "Investing in zero-emission cars, trucks, and buses is a smart and effective use of cap-and-trade proceeds," said CARB Chair Mary D. Nichols. "It generates thousands of clean-tech jobs in California, helps bring these ultra-clean vehicles to market sooner, and places them in the communities that have the greatest need of clean air."
California Climate Investments is a statewide program that puts cap-and-trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment, particularly in disadvantaged communities. The transportation sector overall is by far the largest contributor to the state's total annual greenhouse gas emissions, so the climate investment program has been focused on deploying next-generation zero-emission trucks, cars, and buses, according to CARB.
So far, the investments have supported electric school buses in Sacramento, electric yard trucks in Fontana, hydrogen-powered buses in the Coachella Valley, and a fleet of electric delivery trucks for Goodwill Industries in the Bay Area.
Some of these are demonstration projects that have put new zero-emission trucks to work side by side with existing diesel trucks in rail yards or distribution centers to fully determine their benefits and capabilities; the investments program is designed to help drive down the up-front purchase price of zero-emission trucks, as well, and to support the market for zero-emission cars statewide. California has 283,000 zero-emission and plug-in vehicles so far-- more than 40 percent of the national zero-emission car sales -- and many of those cars, trucks, and buses are being built in California.