UC ITS Webinar: How Are Heavier Alternative Fuel Vehicles Expected to Affect California Pavements and Bridges?
Speaker
John Harvey, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Director of the UC Pavement Research Center at the University of California, Davis
Marshall Miller, Senior Development Engineer at the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis
Date/Time
February 10, 2021 , 10:00am - 11:15am PST
Description
California Assembly Bill 2061 (2018) increased the gross vehicle weight limit for near-zero-emission and zero-emission heavy duty trucks by 2,000 pounds to facilitate the expected growth of battery electric, fuel cell, and natural gas-powered trucks. These alternative fuel vehicle technologies are currently heavier than conventional diesel trucks. AB 2061 also asked the UC Institute of Transportation Studies (UC ITS) to study whether raising this weight limit could have unintended consequences on state and local pavements and bridges. This webinar will present findings from the UC ITS study, including 1) the degree to which the weight limit increase could affect pavement damage and greenhouse gas emissions associated with pavement repairs, 2) the potential costs of this pavement damage, and 3) how any additional greenhouse gas emissions from increased repairs would compare to the anticipated emissions reductions from switching to alternative fuel trucks.
The policy brief and full report can be found here:
https://www.ucits.org/research-project/2020-19/
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