How Soon Will Big Rigs Go Electric In California?

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Above: Electric engine sits where a diesel engine used to be in this cargo hauling truck at TransPower headquarters, on Feb. 28, 2018.

Aired 2/19/19 on KPBS Midday Edition

GUEST: Joshua Emerson Smith, environment reporter, The San Diego Union-Tribune

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Instead of pollution-spouting freight trucks and heavy-duty loaders at the Port of San Diego, what if there were electric vehicles and cargo equipment? Heavy-duty diesel trucks emit 70 percent of the most toxic air pollution from on-road vehicles in California. And a lot of that pollution is centered in lower-income neighborhoods. So there's an effort underway in San Diego and at loading docks across the state to switch to cleaner equipment.

The question is, has technology caught up with California's climate action goals or are we still years away from reliable long-haul electric big rigs?

Environment reporter Joshua Emerson Smith has been writing about the issue for The San Diego Union-Tribune. He joins Midday Edition Tuesday to talk about the future of electric freight vehicles in California.

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