California Energy Journal: EVs

California Launches $1 Billion Electric Truck Rebate Program Using LCFS Revenue

Fri, 22 May 2026 21:20:26 GMT

California launched a new rebate program that state officials said could provide more than $1 billion through 2030 to support purchases of electric medium- and heavy-duty trucks. The rebate initiative will be funded through California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) program and administered through utilities. The program, announced May 13, begins June 26, 2026.

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The California Air Resources Board (CARB) said fleets will be eligible beginning June 26 for point-of-sale rebates ranging from $7,500 to $120,000 for battery-electric commercial vehicles, including electric semis, delivery vans, drayage trucks, and other Class 2b through Class 8 vehicles. The program will make $250 million available this year, with funding expected to exceed $1 billion by 2030.

California recently revised LCFS rules to direct utility-generated residential electric vehicle charging credits toward commercial vehicle electrification incentives. The program is being administered statewide by Southern California Edison on behalf of CARB, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, San Diego Gas & Electric, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District. Fleets statewide will be eligible regardless of utility territory, according to CARB.

State officials framed the rebate program as both an industrial policy initiative and an air quality measure targeted at diesel emissions from freight transportation.

The new program also builds on California’s existing Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP), which CARB said has provided more than $1 billion in incentives supporting deployment of more than 11,000 clean commercial vehicles since 2009, according to CALSTART.

The program comes amid legal ambiguity over California’s efforts to promote the deployment of zero-emission commercial vehicles. In 2025, President Donald Trump signed three congressional resolutions overturning federal waivers and approvals supporting several California vehicle emissions programs, including the state’s Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) regulation. The ACT regulation required manufacturers to increase sales of zero-emission trucks in California between 2024 and 2035. The new rebate initiative instead relies on financial incentives to support deployment of zero-emission commercial vehicles.

Trump Administration Sues California over Electric Vehicle Mandate

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 21:04:00 GMT

The Trump administration is suing the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to block enforcement of the state’s vehicle emissions rules. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) argues that the state’s fleetwide CO2 emissions regulation and zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) sales mandate conflict with federal law governing fuel economy standards.

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The complaint, fi…

EPA Blocks California’s Out-of-State Truck Inspection Rule

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:51:04 GMT

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule January 27, 2026 disapproving of California’s inspection and maintenance requirements on out-of-state trucks passing through the state. The EPA approved California’s Heavy-Duty (HD) Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) Regulation only as it applies to in-state registered vehicles. The EPA pr…

California Sets Standards for EV Charger Reliability

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 21:04:29 GMT

The California Energy Commission (CEC) voted unanimously to require publicly funded fast chargers for electric vehicles (EV) to be functional 97% of the time. This applies to chargers built in 2024 or later.

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AB 2061, passed in 2022, requires the CEC to develop uptime recordkeeping and reporting standards for publicly or ratepayer funded EV chargers and c…

CARB Moves to Reinstate Vehicle Emissions Standards through Emergency Rule

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 13:59:00 GMT

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) adopted emergency regulations aimed at restoring the state’s vehicle emissions standards following federal actions earlier this year that sought to block key elements of California’s clean vehicle program.

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The emergency rule, approved and filed with the Secretary of State on October 2, 2025, is intended to preser…

EPA Proposes to Prevent California from Applying Smog Regulations to Out-of-State Trucks

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 16:41:31 GMT

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed to disapprove of California’s Heavy-Duty (HD) Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) Requirements as it applies to out-of-state and out-of-country vehicles.

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The rule, which was implemented in 2023 intended to reduce emissions of particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen, mandates roadside emissions screen…

California Regulators Plan to Increase EV Incentives as Feds Withdraw Support

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 19:37:00 GMT

California regulators said they will strengthen efforts to reduce vehicle emissions as the Trump administration reduces support for electric vehicles (EVs) and ends California’s emissions waivers. In a new report released August 19, 2025, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and other agencies outlined ways California could respond to federal actio…

California’s Clean Truck Partnership Faces Legal Challenges and FTC Invalidation

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 19:06:21 GMT

California’s Clean Truck Partnership to advance zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) for the commercial trucking industry fell under legal attack by both truck manufacturers and the federal government. The challenges to 2023 agreement, under which truck manufacturers committed to 100% zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs) in exchange for flexibility in meeting emissi…

U.S. Supreme Court Allows Fuel Producers to Challenge EPA Waiver

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 15:11:08 GMT

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that oil and ethanol producers had standing to challenge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) approval of California’s vehicle emissions waivers that allow the state to set emissions standards that were stricter than the federal standards.

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In a 7-2 decision, the Court ruled on June 20, 2025 that the fuel producers…

Newsom Issues Executive Order on Emissions after Congress Revokes Waiver

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 14:27:00 GMT

Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order directing the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to develop new vehicle emissions regulations after Congress revoked California’s vehicle emissions waiver.

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Executive Order N-27-25 directs CARB to “develop and propose an Advanced Clean Cars III regulation consistent with State and federal law that reduces…

Trump Signs Resolutions that Repeal California Emissions Waivers

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 17:45:06 GMT

President Donald Trump signed into law three resolutions that revoke California’s vehicle emissions waiver, including the waiver that allows the state to end the sale of new gasoline-fueled or diesel-fueled passenger cars and trucks by 2035.

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Trump’s approval of the bills on June 12, 2025 delivers on an executive order, issued on his first day in office, …

Senate Votes to Repeal California Emissions Waivers

Wed, 28 May 2025 01:18:49 GMT

The U.S. Senate voted May 22, 2025 to repeal three California waivers to the Clean Air Act, including the waiver that allows the state to end the sale of new gasoline-fueled or diesel-fueled passenger cars and trucks by 2035. The Senate voted 51-44 with only one Democrat joining to repeal the waivers and four senators not voting. The U.S. House of Repre…

California Joins Other States in Lawsuit over EV Funds

Wed, 14 May 2025 15:12:21 GMT

On May 7, 2025, California joined a coalition of 16 states and Washington, D.C. in challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order directing the Federal Highway Administration to withhold funds to build electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.

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Trump’s executive order on “Unleashing American Energy” directs that all agencies “shall immediately pause …

House Passes Resolutions to Overturn California Emissions Waivers

Wed, 07 May 2025 19:50:38 GMT

The U.S. House of Representatives passed three Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions to overturn emissions waivers related to California’s zero emissions vehicles programs. The resolutions are now under consideration in the Senate, where passage faces procedural difficulties.

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If approved by the Senate, the resolutions would overturn the following wa…

Congress to Review California’s Recent Emissions Waivers

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 17:07:27 GMT

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced that the EPA would send three California vehicle emissions waiver rules to Congress for review under the Congressional Review Act (CRA). The rules—Advanced Clean Cars II, Advanced Clean Trucks, and Omnibus NOx rules—could be repealed.

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President Donald Trump signaled his int…

Trump Aims to Eliminate the “EV Mandate” and State Emissions Waivers

Fri, 24 Jan 2025 16:28:55 GMT

President Donald Trump issued an executive order that takes aim at California’s promotion of electric vehicles (EVs) and its longstanding allowance to set its own emissions standards.

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Trump’s executive order on “Unleashing American Energy” states that it is U.S. policy to “eliminate the ‘electric vehicle (EV) mandate’ and promote true consumer choice, wh…

CARB Withdraws Waiver Requests to Phase-Out Diesel Trucks, Trains, and Harbor Craft

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 20:16:22 GMT

On January 13, 2025, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) withdrew three waiver requests that would have phased-out diesel trucks, trains, and commercial harbor craft by 2036. The diesel truck and locomotive rules were considered the most legally controversial.

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The Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulation would have required cargo trucks that serve po…

Biden EPA Grants California Waivers for Yard Equipment, Refrigeration Units, Offroad Vehicles

Fri, 10 Jan 2025 17:02:08 GMT

The Biden administration granted California permissions to set zero-emissions standards for lawn mowers and leaf blowers as well low-emissions rules for refrigerated trucks and certain off-road vehicles.

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was under pressure to approve eight waivers to the Clean Air Act before leaving office, as President-elect Don…

EPA Approves Regulations for 2035 Phase-Out of Gas-Powered Vehicles

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 20:59:00 GMT

The Biden administration approved California’s Clean Air Act waiver request for two clean vehicle regulations.

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The Advanced Clean Cars II rule will require the phase-out of the sale of new gasoline-fueled or diesel-fueled passenger cars and trucks by 2035. The Heavy-Duty Omnibus rule will establish more stringent emissions standards for heavy-duty engine…

Supreme Court Declines Review of State Challenge to California Emissions Waiver

Tue, 17 Dec 2024 20:35:00 GMT

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review a legal challenge brought by Ohio and 16 other states seeking to overturn the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to restore California’s Clean Air Act waiver, which allows the state to impose vehicle emissions standards that exceed federal requirements. The order did not explain the Court’s re…