California has roughly 1.8 million commercial trucks, almost all running on diesel, and they contribute heavily to the state’s carbon emissions and air pollution, especially near ports and warehouse hubs. To push fleets toward cleaner vehicles, the state has spent billions on incentives, but electric big rigs still cost two to three times more upfront than diesel trucks. Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed Senate Bill 1213, which aims to bring “greater transparency and accountability to the clean truck market,” according to state Senator Eloise Gómez Reyes, who authored the bill.
The law responds to evidence that manufacturers have charged more in California than elsewhere. A 2024 California Air Resources Board report found the average price of a zero-emission Class 8 truck in California was $436,000 — about $87,000 more than the average in Europe. Research from the International Council on Clean Transportation also found large U.S.–Europe price gaps. Starting in 2027, manufacturers must share pricing data with state agencies to qualify for incentive programs, with the data anonymized to protect competitive confidentiality, said Guillermo Ortiz of the Natural Resources Defense Council, which sponsored the bill.
SB 1213 also instructs state agencies to explore financing tools such as residual-value guarantees and loan-loss reserves. Because about 90% of U.S. truck purchases are financed, the lack of data on used electric truck values makes it hard for banks to underwrite loans and leases. That is especially important for smaller operators, who make up most of the state’s trucking industry. As Ortiz put it, “Zero-emissions trucks can’t just be luxury goods for corporate fleets.” The article notes that California’s ability to mandate clean fleets has been weakened by federal actions, making state-level market fixes like this one more important. The source is a single Canary Media report; no conflicting sources{