A few weeks ago, I took two Sierra Club volunteers to the Advanced Clean Transportation (or ACT) Expo, an industry-run event showcasing the newest in sustainable transportation technology. We were excited to be there, and we were especially curious about how the newest electric and zero-emission technology could be used to clean up the polluted air in our own hometowns.
We were blown away by what we saw. An EV-powered future seemed within grasping distance. Yet behind this incredible new technology, certain CEOs are playing both sides and trying to distract us from their ongoing commitments to fossil fuels.
The Magic of Electric Trucks and Buses
Stepping into the Anaheim Convention Center for the ACT Expo felt like we were entering Willy Wonka’s factory for electric commercial vehicles (think big trucks, vans, and buses). Once you walk through the doors, you enter a vast room with all types of exhibits. It was total sensory overload: We were met with flashing lights, sleek-looking vehicles, and groups of truckmaker representatives waiting to tell us how their newest model would change the world.
One thing that was especially inspiring to us was the wide array of completely zero-emission, electric school buses. Growing up I took the bus to school, and I still associate school buses with the overwhelming smell of diesel exhaust. While I didn’t know it at the time, that exhaust is a known carcinogen that can cause major respiratory issues. This is especially problematic for children, who have developing lungs. The bus drivers who take kids to school are also exposed to this dangerous near daily pollution.
Luckily, a less stinky, pollution-free option is becoming more and more available for today’s kids: electric school buses.
Why We’re Here
My volunteers’ names are Dalinef and Uma. Like me, they live in communities known for notoriously dirty air. The Inland Empire, especially—where Dalinef and I are from—is one of the most polluted areas in the country. Growing up, Dalinef and Uma’s homes were surrounded by industrial warehouses. They would sit for hours in traffic surrounded by refrigerator truck semis and dump trucks. They had friends with asthma and family members with other respiratory issues. All the while, like most kids, they didn’t realize that transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. and a dangerous source of particulate and ozone pollution. Diesel trucks, in particular, represent an outsized proportion of this pollution.
It wasn’t until they started working at Sierra Club that Dalinef and Uma began to realize exactly what they were experiencing and developed the language to advocate for their friends and families back home. They now have higher hopes: They are organizers fighting for electric school buses, cars, and trucks alike. They see a future of clean air for themselves and their communities.
Volvo’s Dirty Little Secret
The Advanced Clean Transportation Expo is made possible by titans in the transportation sector. Volvo, Daimler, and major operators of truck fleets like FedEx, Sysco, PepsiCo, and Walmart all helped shape the event. On the surface, it seems like these industry giants are helping to usher in a new era of clean transportation across the US. Volvo, in particular, likes to brand itself as the most sustainable of the bunch and a leader in clean trucks.
Unfortunately, Volvo’s actions tell a different story. Volvo has a history of playing both sides. They profess commitments to clean energy and tout innovative green tech in Europe while simultaneously lobbying against the rollout of electric truck technology in the US, which are critical for public health, business certainty, and climate action.
Senate Republicans just voted to repeal three California clean vehicle waivers authorizing the Advanced Clean Trucks, Heavy-Duty Low-NOx Omnibus, and the Advanced Clean Cars II standards. These were California’s best tools to protect residents’ health from toxic vehicle pollution. And the vote itself was legally dubious at best.
Truck manufacturers and the oil and gas industry lobbied hard to kill these crucial clean truck standards. The juxtaposition between Volvo’s PR work and their lobbyists’ actions behind closed doors couldn't be more striking. It seems pretty clear to me why they do this—Volvo wants the positive PR of being a sustainable auto manufacturer while keeping the same inflated profit margins offered by their polluting trucks. It's greenwashing 101. I went to Las Vegas with some other Sierra Club volunteers to protest this blatant hypocrisy just a few months ago.
Defending Clean Air in California
Despite these recent developments, Dalinef and Uma were hopeful on the car ride home. They talked about how all of these vehicles on the road right now could one day be electric, and that a future of clean air was possible. Would that mean fewer asthma attacks in their community? Would that mean being able to put your windows down in summer without worrying about the pollution? Dalinef explained how it would be nice to know that children going to school wouldn’t be forced to breathe in a daily dose of toxic pollution.
Even as a Sierra Club organizer, I was amazed to see how much technology for cleaner air is already available. Seeing the volunteers feel excited and hopeful about the event was an emotional experience. The ACT Expo gave me hope that communities like the ones Dalinef and Uma come from will have a future with fewer health complications related to polluted air.
Of course, for us to achieve a clean energy future we need to electrify more than just commercial vehicles. Every aspect of modern transportation needs to be re-examined and upgraded. For instance, I’m working with Sierra Club and others to electrify and clean up Southern California’s notoriously dirty ports.
But we’ll never get fully there if companies like Volvo keep playing both sides. For myself, Dalinef, and Uma to finally be able to breathe clean air, Volvo needs to commit to sustainability and live up to the incredible promise that the ACT Expo represents.