President Trump criticized California’s law prohibiting gas-powered cars in his inaugural address. However, even before he took office, the state gave up on a similar plan to outlaw diesel trucks, acknowledging the new reality.
The Port of Oakland is the site of the most recent effects of the new government. California officials dropped their proposal for a waiver that would let the state to prohibit the sale of diesel trucks after 2035 shortly after Donald Trump was elected president, realizing they had lost all friends in Washington, D.C.
“The waiver was pulled back from the EPA,” stated Oakland-based AB Trucking president Bill Aboudi. “The first thing that comes to me is, what is their strategy? They’ll think of something else instead. Uncertainty has long been a part of our lives. Therefore, we have some leeway to purchase very costly yet inoperable trucks. Hopefully, these vehicles will become a reality. They still haven’t.
According to Aboudi, he is not opposed to EVs. He really encouraged people to buy electric tractors because he was among the first to do so for moving trailers around in his yard. However, he claimed that the technology needed to transport huge goods over vast distances is still lacking.
Aboudi indicated two brand-new hydrogen-powered trucks that are roughly twice as expensive as a diesel automobile but are so heavy that they struggle to move enough goods to turn a profit.
“Yes, they run. “When they run, they’re gorgeous,” he remarked. “But they’re just not suitable for the workload.”
Aboudi stated that the state is blaming President Trump for the waiver withdrawal, but he believes they were searching for a way out of the diesel ban since they knew it would fail. But in addition to trucks, the president discussed rules mandating electric passenger cars in his inaugural address.
“We will revoke the electric vehicle mandate, saving our auto industry and keeping my sacred pledge to our great American autoworkers,” he declared in his inauguration address. “In other words, you’ll be able to buy the car of your choice.”
Thanks to an EPA waiver, California already has a law prohibiting the sale of new gas-powered vehicles after 2035. Whether federal officials can now reverse that is uncertain. The Republicans were successful in persuading consumers across that the government was after their automobiles, according to EV industry expert Loren McDonald.
“There never was a law that said you can’t buy a gas car, but Trump and the Republicans basically owned that and made it sound like it, countering ‘all things Biden’ that sort of hinted at, sounded like, ‘We’re telling you what you need to do,'” McDonald said. “And so EVs were sort of an easy target of that.”
With or without a ban, McDonald claimed that other states have been lagging considerably behind California in the adoption of electric vehicles, and the current course is likely to cause the transition to be delayed by decades. However, California’s diesel truck prohibition is dead, at least for the time being, regardless of what happens to automobiles. And for fleet owners like Aboudi, that is the main issue.
“We don’t know what the next move is,” he stated. “Should we simply grow and acquire additional diesel trucks? I must use a functional truck for this.
California believed it was setting the standard for the nation by outlawing cars that use fossil fuels. It might now find itself on an island by itself.
Eliot Pierce is a dedicated writer for ChiefsFocus.com, covering local crime and finance news. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, Eliot aims to provide his readers with clear and insightful analysis, helping them navigate the complexities of their financial lives while staying informed about important local events. His commitment to delivering accurate and engaging content makes him a valuable resource for the community.