Sustainable transportation nonprofit Calstart is launching its Cal Fleet Advisor (CFA) program, in which California fleets can receive advice from experts to meet California emissions standards and transition to sustainable transportation. Cal Fleet Advisor will serve as a personal, interactive alternative to traditional formats such as websites, workshops, and mailers, Calstart wrote in a press release.
Developed in partnership with the California Air Resources Board (CARB), CFA aims to address the confusion fleets experience while decarbonizing by providing a single point of contact that will help with the process of identifying, financing, obtaining, and deploying zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles for their businesses. CFA will also provide tracking and document-collection and -filing assistance to fleets.
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Although available to all California fleets, Calstart stated that CFA primarily focuses on assisting smaller businesses, owner-operators, underrepresented populations, and disadvantaged communities. It is also geared toward drayage fleets, which face more stringent decarbonization timelines, stated the nonprofit consortium.
“California has adopted a number of regulations that will require medium- and heavy-duty fleet operators to transition to zero-emission vehicles in the coming years. There are lots of options and rules fleets are faced with, and it can be overwhelming to figure out where to start,” says Clare Bachman, fleet technical assistance project manager at Calstart. “By adding a human element to information sharing around zero-emission vehicles and funding, we will be able to help fleets determine exactly what they need to do, rather than have them take time out of their busy schedule to do it alone.”
