California to phase out ICE trucks sales by 2036 to 2042

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has voted unanimously to start phasing out trucks with internal combustion engines (ICE) by mandating zero-emission vehicles in fleets with the so-called Advanced Clean Fleets regulation.

The first phase is set to start in 2025 in harbor environments, followed by a sales stop for combustion box trucks, vans, buses, and delivery vehicles with two axles by 2036, and zero-emission vehicles mandatory in every class by 2042.

Truck manufacturers just got a new incentive to launch more and better electric trucks, as California has set some concrete deadlines to ban combustion-based trucks in the coming years. This rule applies to transport entities with fleets of 50 or more vehicles operating in California, including government entities.

According to CARB, this rule will save 26,5 billion dollars in health care costs due to the improved air quality, with 48 billion dollars in savings for the fleet operators thanks to lower maintenance costs and cheaper electricity in the States.

Sales stop by 2036, zero-emission fleets by 2042

The Advanced Clean Fleets regulation obligates transport companies and other entities to have a certain percentage of zero-emission vehicles in their fleets by a specific deadline. That deadline varies by vehicle type, with smaller vehicles having to switch quicker than large sleeper cab trucks.

As you can see in the table above, the first deadline for smaller box trucks and vans is set for 2025, with 10% of the fleet that must be zero-emissions. The same percentage only applies to the biggest vehicles by 2030. By 2042, every class of medium and heavy-duty truck will have to be zero-emissions.

That means that existing diesel and gas trucks can still operate until 2042, but the rule also means that the sale of combustion trucks will effectively be prohibited by 2036. That makes California the first authority in the world to set a deadline for the sale of combustion trucks.

There are exceptions to the rule. For example, new drayage trucks, short-haul trucks operating between ports, already have to be zero-emissions from 2024, with existing vehicles that must be replaced by zero-emissions alternatives by 2035.