Fully vaccinated and freshly charged, our family will hit the road in our EV this 4th of July with a new appreciation for independence. It’s been a long year at home with three kids, three cats and three turtles but we have been luckier than most. We have our independence, health, and security for which we are very grateful. What has become completely evident to me in the last year is how integral our EV is to all three.

For instance, we lost power during the rolling blackouts of the 2020 California extreme fires. Remember the sky last fall? Oh right, no one could see it because of the dense orange smoke full of toxic particulates. We had to wear masks on top of our masks. What a year! But our lives went on with Zoom classes and meetings and, using our phones as hot-spots, we were able to still communicate with those we love because we luckily had a backup battery to charge all our devices—in the form of our car! The potential for EVs to play a critical role as backup power for our homes and the grid is enormous. Automakers know this. Ford’s recent debut of its all-electric F-150 Lightning features its ability to provide full-home backup power for up to three days and, depending on usage, even up to 10 days. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab scientists are researching and demonstrating the EV to grid capabilities at Flexlab – the world’s most advanced integrated building and grid technologies test bed. Long duration storage (10-100 hours) is a linchpin in the transition to carbon neutrality by 2045. EVs could provide one solution.

Then there is the money saved […]

On the road to a zero-carbon economy, medium and heavy-duty trucks (MDV/HDV) have been in the slow lane. Until now. Once considered futuristic, in the next year, over a hundred zero emission commercial freight vehicles will be available from 46 manufacturers.

And it is not a minute too soon. California has been turbocharging the zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) truck industry by providing incentives for early adopters as well as ambitious targets for manufacturers. But despite California’s Advanced Clean Truck Rule, which requires that 40-75% (depending on platform) of all new trucks be zero emission in 2035, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) estimates that MDV/HDV will still be emitting a lot of carbon emissions. On the order of 31 MMt CO2e — in 2045.

Heavy Duty trucks making long haul trips and clocking the most miles pollute the most (contributing the highest share of GHG and NOx), stay on the road the longest (up to 20 years), and present the most formidable technology challenge. But they only constitute 10 percent of all trucks. So, is solving the heavy-duty-long haul truck challenge the key to accelerating our ride to a zero-emissions transportation sector? […]