James Butler | University of California, Berkeley

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Presentation Description

Other coauthors: Bin Wang, Peter Ambiel, Alan Jenn

People who live near magnet sources (e.g., ports, warehouses) and goods movement corridors (i.e., freeways and major roadways) are exposed to black carbon (BC) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from diesel medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. Trucks, defined in this work as class 3–8 trucks, move around 65% of freight by weight in the United States. The construction and location of goods movement infrastructure and distribution centers has historically been a function of geography (distance to the ocean), municipal zoning laws, and proximity to freeways. In California, like in most of the United States, there are race and class disparities in air pollution exposure from goods movement.

To reduce traffic air pollution in communities of lower socioeconomic status, state and federal governments have established emission limits for diesel engines. In California, the 2007 Drayage Truck Rule and 2010 Truck and Bus Regulation set requirements that accelerated the use of diesel particle filters to capture diesel PM and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems to reduce thermal NOx emissions by the on-road truck fleet. The next stage of California’s truck fleet regulation begins in 2025 with the Advanced Clean Fleet Rule, which requires a transition of truck fleets to zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs). Battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) currently make up a small percentage of the truck fleet. However, many truck trips could be made with BEVs, given most truck freight is transported less than 250 miles (87% of freight tonnage), which is around the current state-of-the-art BEV range. Rapid and widespread deployment of charging stations near magnet sources must occur to transition truck fleets to ZEVs.

We model changes in annual PM2.5 concentration across California due to these regulatory programs with the Intervention Model for Air Pollution (InMAP) source-receptor matrix (ISRM) for 2000¬–2050. Truck activity on major roadways and electric truck charging events were obtained from the Berkeley Lab Medium- and Heavy-Duty Electric Vehicle Infrastructure – Load Operations and Deployment Modeling Tool (HEVI–LOAD). We leverage in-use on-road diesel truck emission factors (EFs) captured during multiple measurement campaigns throughout implementation of these regulations, supplemented with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) EF database (EMFAC). Marginal emissions from electric truck charging demand are simulated in the UC Davis Grid Optimized Operation Dispatch (GOOD) model. Population-weighted average concentrations by race and class are calculated at a census block level.

Speaker Biography

James Butler is a Graduate Student Researcher and PhD student in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. His research looks at the air quality impacts of truck electrification in the goods movement sector and emissions of carbonaceous aerosols from prescribed burns and wildfires. He received his Bachelor of Environmental Engineering from the University of Minnesota--Twin Cities and Masters of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He is a member of UAW Local 4811, an avid cyclist and public transportation enthusiast.

Co-presenters

Chelsea  Preble
University of California, Berkeley

Fona Ou
University of California, Berkeley

Wanshi Hong
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Thomas Kirchstetter
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Presentation File