Volvo, Daimler and TRATON reportedly side the Trump administration to weaken U.S. emissions standards
According to media reports, some of the major manufacturers operating in North America are lobbying with the aim to weaken the current truck emissions standards in the United States.
A lobby group for the truck manufacturers in the U.S., namely the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association (EMA), is seeking to intervene in a lawsuit specifically on emission standards related to trucks, a cornerstone policy that underpins U.S. law protecting health and the environment. The initiative is siding with the Trump administration’s move to tear down a cornerstone policy that underpins U.S. law protecting health and the environment.
Members of the EMA include Germany’s Daimler Truck, which holds a huge sway over the U.S. market, with 40% market share, followed by Sweden’s Volvo Group and International Motors – owned by Traton.
The attempts to weaken U.S. emissions standards
Clean transport advocates criticized the legal move by the EMA move as further pushing affordable clean trucks out of reach and undermining electrification efforts in the U.S. and risks tying the U.S. trucking industry to volatile and expensive diesel prices while delaying the transition to affordable electric trucks. They also criticized the move as further pushing affordable clean trucks out of reach and undermining electrification efforts in the U.S at a time when diesel prices have exceeded $5 a gallon and fleets are seeking cost-saving alternatives.
Daimler, along with Volvo Group, Paccar and International Motors, sued California last August over the Clean Truck Partnership, an agreement with the California Air Resources Board meant to advance truck electrification goals regardless of federal rollbacks.
Indeed, similar tensions are already emerging in Europe, where industry lobbying to slow or weaken CO2 targets are raising concerns about how manufacturers intend to keep pace with fast growing markets, as new entrants could undercut European manufacturers by 30% while fleets remain locked into rising fuel costs.
Statements from CARB and Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All
“The truck cartel just sided in court with Donald Trump to blow up climate progress. As diesel price spike, they feebly announced it is too hard to bring US drivers the same kinds of affordable electric trucks that are zooming down every port street in China — so they won’t try. If I had a single dollar invested in one of these companies, I’d demand the leadership be fired if they don’t disavow this anti-customer lawsuit”, said Craig Segall, former Deputy Executive Officer and Assistant Chief Counsel of the California Air Resources Board.
“The Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association’s support of EPA’s repeal of life-saving clean truck standards is appalling. Truck manufacturers like Daimler and Volvo have slow-walked clean trucks for years and now want to throw them under the bus altogether, undermining American competitiveness and thumbing their nose at truck drivers and communities who demand the health and climate benefits of clean trucks”, added Katherine Garcia, Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All Campaign Director.
