Ford Says It Backs Stronger Heavy-Duty Pollution Standards

Government entities from around the world have worked to pass new, more stringent emissions standards for years now, and for the most part, Ford has supported those efforts. In fact, FoMoCo recently disavowed a lawsuit from the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association (EMA) – which it belongs to – that aims to delay the implementation of the California Heavy-Duty Omnibus (HDO) clean truck regulation, and also supports proposed emissions standards from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) even though another lobby group it’s part of – the Alliance for Automotive Innovation – does not. Now, the automaker has announced that it is part of another alliance backing stronger greenhouse gas standards for heavy-duty commercial vehicles, too.

This alliance – the Heavy-duty Leadership Group, which consists of BorgWarner, Cummins, Eaton and Ford – is asking the EPA to pass more stringent rules for those types of vehicles by the end of March, ensuring that the new standards are in place beginning with the 2027 model year, not 2030 as some have proposed. The group also called for improvements in regulatory certainty and clear market signals, and opposes a “hard-wired off ramp,” under which the EPA standards would automatically end or be weakened if certain infrastructure metrics are not achieved.

These companies also noted they are willing to meet the challenge of investing in the types of advanced technologies needed to meet these new EPA Greenhouse Gas standards. The Group’s Statement of Principles emphasizes that each company in the Heavy-duty Leadership Group is committed to “aggressively cutting GHG emissions with near-term milestones and long-term net zero goals.” The Group also stressed the need for a “whole of government approach” to partner with private industry to meet the new EPA standards.

“We’re proud to join the call for clear and consistent greenhouse gas emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles,” said Cynthia Williams Global Director, Sustainability, Homologation & Compliance at Ford Motor Company. “Our industry is making important progress to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in both light- and heavy-duty vehicles. We also need policymakers to pair emission standards with incentives and public investment so that we can continue to deliver on the next generation of vehicles and for our nation to lead the future of this industry.”

We’ll have more on Ford’s stance on issues like this soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.