California Air Resources Board

Summary 

Would have required CARB to establish the Zero-Emission Aftermarket Conversion Project (ZACP) to provide an applicant with a rebate for the aftermarket conversion of a motor vehicle into a zero-emission vehicle (ZEV). This bill also requires, upon appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or at the discretion of CARB, to fund the program using funds available from a clean transportation program that is in effect on or after the date CARB establishes ZACP. Placed on the Assembly Inactive File.

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Summary 

This bill requires CARB to authorize public agency utilities to purchase replacements for traditional utility-specialized vehicles that are at the end of life, as determined by CARB in consultation with public agency utilities, when needed to maintain reliable service and respond to major foreseeable events, including, but not limited to, severe weather, wildfires, natural disasters, and physical attacks, without regard to the model year of the vehicle being replaced. The bill also states that in determining the daily usage of a medium- or heavy-duty vehicle, a public agency utility may provide comprehensive usage data for a class of vehicles that does not exclusively rely on the lowest mileage reading and does not exclude the highest usage days.

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Summary 

Requires CARB, by January 1, 2026, not to enforce any regulation requiring the purchase and use of zero-emission trucks with greater than 8,500 pounds gross vehicle weight rating operating at land ports of entry, which the bill defines as land ports of entry on the California-Mexico border within a commercial zone. The bill also requires CARB, after January 1, 2026, if enforcing regulations requiring the purchase and use of zero-emission trucks with greater than 8,500 pounds gross vehicle weight rating operating at a land port of entry within a commercial zone, then CARB must have the burden of proof that a regulated fleet operator has reasonable access to an economically feasible charging or fueling infrastructure. The bill also provides a number of exemptions to heavy-duty truck electrification regulations. Was not heard in the Assembly Transportation Committee.

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Summary 

This bill requires the California Department of Insurance (CDI), on or before January 1 2025, in consultation with CARB to create a strategy, further specified in the bill, to address current and future insurance gaps for new heavy-duty truck technologies. Additionally, the bill requires CDI to collect specified insurance information related to heavy-duty trucks utilizing advanced technologies/alternate fuels.

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Summary 

Requires CARB, if CARB requires a fleet owner to acquire zero-emission vehicles as part of its fleet, to authorize the rental of a zero-emission vehicle or vehicles for a cumulative total of 260 days in a calendar year to be deemed ownership of one zero-emission vehicle for purposes of meeting that obligation. This provision would result in the exemption of any vehicles rented less than 260 days as not a part of the “owned fleet,” thereby reducing the fleet’s compliance obligation under CARB’s Advanced Clean Fleets regulation. Was not heard in the Assembly Transportation Committee.

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Summary 

This bill (1) Requires CARB to create a list of cities that contain both a DAC, and some portion of the city is in the top 10 percentile of worst air quality in the state for diesel particulate matter. The bill requires CARB to publish this list of cities on its internet website; (2) bans the operation of heavy-duty diesel fueled vehicles within the city limits of any cities on the aforementioned list. However, the bill provides a number of exemptions to this requirements including emergency vehicles, vehicles operated by utilities, agricultural vehicles, tanks, and out-of-state vehicles; and (3) Create an incentive program to be administered by the South Coast Air Quality Management District for the purchase of zero-emission or natural gas trucks. Was not heard in the Assembly Transportation Committee.

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Summary 

This bill requires, commencing January 1, 2035, 100% of all newly purchased or contracted schoolbuses of a school district, county office of education, or charter school to be zero-emission vehicles, where feasible. The bill authorizes local educational agencies, in order to comply with the aforementioned  requirement, to request a one-time extension for a term not to exceed 5 years if a local educational agency determines that the purchase or contracting of a zero-emission schoolbus is not feasible due to both terrain and route constraints, provided that certain conditions are met.

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Summary

Would have required the California Energy Commission, upon appropriation from the Legislature and in consultation with the California Public Utilities Commission, CARB, and the California Integrated Travel Project, to establish a competitive grant program to award moneys for projects that provide an eligible low-income resident with a payment card that may be used at any publicly available electric vehicle charging station. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Would have required the California Energy Commission (CEC) to assess the electric vehicle charging infrastructure needed to support the levels of electric vehicle adoption required for the State to meet the goal of ensuring 100% of new cars and light trucks sold in California are zero-emission vehicles and evaluate the electric vehicle charging infrastructure needs of specified use cases to ensure an equitable deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The bill would have also required CEC to assess whether Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations are disproportionately distributed, whether drivers whose homes are located in rural or urban communities have disproportionate access to charging station infrastructure, whether homes have equal access to electrical panel capacity sufficient to support at-home charging, and whether charging station infrastructure necessary to fulfill the requirements of the California Clean Miles Standard and Incentive Program has been disproportionately distributed. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Would have required the California Energy Commission, in consultation with CARB and the California Public Utilities Commission, to conduct an assessment, as specified, of the electric and hydrogen infrastructure needed to meet the deadlines in Executive Order No. N-79-20 for the transition of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles to zero-emission vehicles. The bill would also have required CARB to incorporate a strategic plan to meet the deadlines in Executive Order No. N-79-20 for the transition of medium- and heavy-duty fleets to zero-emission vehicles and the various related assessments as specified into its Mobile Source Strategy.

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Governor’s Veto Message

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 493 without my signature.

This bill would expand the scope of several assessments and strategies developed by the California Energy Commission (CEC) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) related to zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) infrastructure.

However, this bill results in costs to the CEC's primary operating fund, which is currently facing an ongoing structural deficit, and thus exacerbates the fund's structural imbalance.

Additionally, many provisions of this bill are currently being incorporated into relevant ZEV infrastructure planning processes at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), in consultation with both the CEC and CARB. At best, this bill's provisions may duplicate these efforts and, at worst, may complicate this work and lead to misaligned interagency work streams.

We must ensure that the CPUC, CEC and CARB utilize their core competencies and focus their expertise and existing resources on improving ZEV infrastructure planning processes. This bill falls short of accomplishing this goal.

For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

View Governor’s veto message here