IE 11 Not Supported

For optimal browsing, we recommend Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers.

Colorado Planning to Move to Electric Trucks by 2050

The state’s plan has a goal of removing all internal-combustion vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 8,501 pounds from Colorado roads by 2050, replacing them with zero-emission electric vehicles.

truck
(TNS) — Colorado officials are asking residents to weigh in on the state's clean truck strategy.

A draft of the state's plan draws from the Colorado Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicle Study and Gov. Jared Polis' Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Roadmap with the goal of removing all internal-combustion vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 8,501 pounds from Colorado roads by 2050 and replacing them with zero-emission electric vehicles.

The lowest tier of vehicles mentioned in the report appears to include crew and full-size pickups, minibuses, minivans and step and utility vans.

It's unclear whether the program applies only to registered commercial vehicles or if it also applies to private and/or agricultural vehicles. An inquiry to the Colorado Energy Office was not returned by press time.

The report acknowledges that at present, zero-emission options are not available for all of the vehicles included in the plan.

"While some M/HD vehicle applications are ready to embrace ZEV technology and have product offerings either on the market or poised to enter the market in the next five years, other sectors may not see viable vehicle alternatives until the end of the decade or longer," the report says.

The report also says, "Accelerating this transition and achieving the associated benefits will require leveraging a wide range of policy levers and support from a diverse set of stakeholders."

Calling for "(increasing) adoption of medium- and heavy-duty ZEVs to at least 30% of new sales by 2030, and 100% of sales by 2050" will require an accelerated turnover of fleets and "disposal of the oldest and most polluting vehicles and purchase of replacement vehicles with 2017 or newer emissions technology."

The strategy includes "starting with a plan to retire at least 500 of the oldest vehicles on the road by 2027."

Under the strategy, all state vehicles would be replaced by zero-emission vehicles by 2040 and the fleet must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 15% by the end of the 2022-23 fiscal year.

Public transit fleets would convert to 100% zero emissions by 2050, with an "interim target of at least 1,000 transit vehicles by 2030."

School buses would be first in line for conversion. The strategy calls for "adoption of 2,000 electric school buses by 2027," and 100% zero-emission buses by 2035 "with a focus on adoption in school districts in disproportionately impacted communities."

Regulatory actions would include adopting "Advanced Clean Truck and Low NOx Omnibus rules." The ACT Omnibus rule was created as part of the California Air Resources Board efforts to meet California's emissions reduction goals.

On June 29, 2020, Polis was the first to sign a memorandum of understanding with 15 other states committing Colorado to "work together to foster a self-sustaining market for zero emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles through the existing Multi-State ZEV Task Force."

© 2022 The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Sign up for GovTech Today

Delivered daily to your inbox to stay on top of the latest state & local government technology trends.