The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has launched a new tool to assist fleet owners in complying with the Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulation. The Streamlined ZEV Purchase Exemption List identifies medium- and heavy-duty vehicle configurations where no zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) or near-zero emission vehicles (NZEVs) – generally defined as an on-road plug-in hybrid electric vehicle under the regulation – are currently available for purchase.

This tool allows fleet owners to purchase new internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles without the need to submit a ZEV Purchase Exemption application. The list will be regularly updated to reflect the latest availability of ZEVs and NZEVs. If a suitable ZEV or NZEV becomes available for a listed configuration, it will be removed from the list. Conversely, configurations that no longer meet the criteria will be added.

However, note that the enforcement of the ACF regulation is currently on hold as CARB awaits a preemption waiver from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Per their enforcement notice dated December 28, 2023, until the waiver is granted or deemed unnecessary, CARB will exercise “enforcement discretion” and not take action on the drayage or high-priority fleet reporting requirements or registration prohibitions. CARB continues to encourage fleets to voluntarily report and comply during this period and has publicly stated that they reserve the right to enforce the regulation fully once the waiver is granted or deemed unnecessary. The EPA has until the swearing in of the new Administration on January 20, 2025 to act. In an earlier update, we reported that the EPA has granted waivers for California’s Advanced Clean Cars II and the Heavy-Duty Engine and Vehicle Omnibus regulations.

Fleet owners can review the fact sheet and guidelines provided on the CARB website for more details and explore the Streamlined ZEV Purchase Exemption List.