Abstract
Off-road vehicles and equipment (e.g., forklifts, tractors, dirt bikes) are a major source of air pollution in California due to their heavy reliance on diesel engines, which emit high levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and other emissions. These pollutants cause a range of health impacts, including respiratory diseases like asthma, increased cancer risk, premature death, and other ailments, and disproportionately affect low-income communities located near highways, freight hubs, ports, and industrial areas. To address this issue, California has a range of policies and programs in place seeking a cleaner off-road sector beginning with Executive Order N-79-20, which sets a goal of 100 percent transition to zero emission (ZE) off-road vehicles and equipment by 2035 where feasible. Reflecting this, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) 2022 California Scoping Plan outlines ambitious ZE technology adoption, including hydrogen fuel cell and battery electric technologies. To better understand the implications of both current and future policies, this study quantifies 1) the benefits of off-road emission reductions from current policy and 2) potential additional benefits that can be achieved by increasing ZE adoption of off-road vehicles and equipment over and above the level considered feasible in the Scoping Plan up to and including a full transition to ZE.
