Here are the morning’s top stories on Wednesday, December 11, 2024…
- California is pushing the trucking industry to electrify to cut pollution. That effort so far has focused on swapping out old trucks for shiny new electric ones. But that doesn’t always have to be the case.
- Crews have been able to make progress overnight on the Franklin Fire burning in Malibu. The fire has burned nearly 4,000 acres since it started late Monday night, but is now 7% contained.
LA Company Looks To Help Trucking Industry’s Green Shift
California is pushing the trucking industry to electrify — that’s because medium and heavy-duty trucks make up only 6% of the vehicles on the road, but they cough up about 35% of the pollutants that give Southern California its notorious smog as well as a quarter of vehicle pollution that gets into the atmosphere and heats up the planet, according to the California Air Resources Board.
The effort so far has prioritized swapping out old trucks for shiny new electric ones. But that doesn’t always have to be the case.
Evolectric, a company headquartered in Rancho Dominguez in south L.A. County, retrofits diesel medium-duty trucks to be all-electric.
Converting existing trucks to electric not only cuts down on pollution from manufacturing, said Jakson Alvarez, the cofounder of Evolectric, but also costs about half as much as buying a new truck. “This solution is especially ideal for those smaller fleets,” Alvarez said. “They’re really the ones being left behind the most because they’re surviving. They don’t have time to figure out — how am I going to transition to electric?”
Crews Make Progress On Franklin Fire In Malibu
A fast-moving brush fire in Malibu has grown to nearly 4,000 acres, officials said Wednesday, as high winds and dry conditions continue to produce extreme fire danger. At just 7% contained, authorities warned the Franklin Fire “continues to pose a significant threat.”