Your Economy (No Politics)

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New study: Infrastructure needed to support a ‘zero emissions’ electric trucking fleet comes with a $1 trillion price tag

By Olivia Murray

“Unknown consequences” for the American consumer? I don’t know about you, but this Build Back Better Democrat economy has me about tapped out—insurance rates keep increasing for a service that doesn’t benefit me at all, grocery prices are through the roof, utility prices keep surging, taxes are exorbitant and tyrannical, and the purchasing power of my dollar is waning into obscurity.

“We’re facing an unfunded, $1 trillion mandate that carries enormous consequences for the American consumer.” At least that’s what Chris Spear, American Trucking Associations President and CEO has to say about one D.C. diktat coming down from on high in particular, and that is the one mandating that the American trucking industry bend to EPA rules requiring all electric fleets and production lines.

Here’s the context, from March of this year:

On March 29, 2024, Good Friday, Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rolled out its new electric truck mandate, which will require that electric semi-trucks make up an increasing share of manufacturer sales from 2027 through 2032, similar to its recent rule for passenger cars.

There’s a new report out though, from Roland Berger and published by the Clean Freight Coalition, which stresses the unaffordability and impracticality of the rules and regulations, as they stand:

New Report Pegs Cost of Electrifying U.S. Commercial Truck Fleet at $1 Trillion

Full electrification of the U.S. commercial truck fleet would require nearly $1 trillion in infrastructure investment alone, according to a new report from Roland Berger released today by the Clean Freight Coalition. The study forecasts a realistic infrastructure buildout for the electrification of medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, exposing what the CFC calls a massive investment gap as state and federal policymakers mandate increased adoption rates of battery-electric commercial vehicles.

And it’s not like CFC is some oil-industry front group; from the group’s own website:

The Clean Freight Coalition is an alliance of truck transportation stakeholders committed to a clean energy future for America’s trucking industry.

“Stakeholders” pushing for a “clean energy” tomorrow? Sounds honestly like a World Economic Forum affiliate. And to make sure this is abundantly clear, this $1 trillion price tag isn’t the total cost of a transition to “full electrification” of the trucking fleet in operation throughout the nation, this is just the cost for the necessary infrastructure (charging stations and chargers, grid network updates, etc.) Here’s this, from Berger:

This nearly $1 trillion expenditure does not account for the cost of purchasing new battery-electric trucks, which, according to market research, can be 2 to 3 times as expensive as their diesel-powered equivalents.

That expenditure also doesn’t include increased insurance costs, or any remediation expenses environmental damage done (excess particle-pollution, burning lithium battery storage warehouses, water and soil contamination from mining practices). Here is what Berger concluded:

Over the next two decades, a full transition to BEVs would require a substantial and direct expenditure shared by both fleets and utilities, with unknown consequences for the American consumer and ratepayer. Rather than mandating BEVs, policymakers should examine ways to incentivize these vehicles over realistic and reasonable timelines. At the same time, governments should encourage and incentivize the adoption of more efficient clean diesel and alternative-fueled vehicles on the road by eliminating the federal excise tax on trucks.

Again, it’s not like Berger is some pro-oil guy, he’s totally on-board with the “clean” energy scam, he’s just not living in a fantasy world vacuum where you can somehow ignore facts and objective reality and arrive at a logical conclusion.

“Unknown consequences” for the American consumer? I don’t know about you, but this Build Back Better Democrat economy has me about tapped out—insurance rates keep increasing for a service that doesn’t benefit me at all, grocery prices are through the roof, utility prices keep surging, taxes are exorbitant and tyrannical, and the purchasing power of my dollar is waning into obscurity.

“Unknown consequences”? More like guaranteed consequences of bankruptcy and poverty.

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/05/new_study_infrastructure_needed_to_support_a_zero_emissions_electric_trucking_fleet_comes_with_a_1_trillion_price_tag.html