Stakeholder perspectives on the transition to zero emission off-road equipment

Scott PhD Hardman and Vaishnavi PhD Karanam

Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series from Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis

Abstract: California has set an ambitious target to transition 100% of off-road vehicles and equipment to zero-emission (ZE) alternatives by 2035 “where feasible,” as outlined in Executive Order N-79-20. Interviews were conducted with 16 stakeholders—contractors, manufacturers, rental firms, researchers, nonprofits, and public agencies. Intervieweesacknowledged positive attributes of ZE equipment, but barriers were more numerous and included inadequate charging infrastructure, limited grid access at job sites, high upfront equipment costs, limited ZE model availability, and complications with rental-based procurement models. Social and organizational barriers such as operator resistance, climate skepticism, and inequities faced by smaller firms were also noted. Most interviewees expressed skepticism that the 2035 ZE off-road goal is realistically achievable without significant policy and infrastructure support. Commonly recommended interventions included strengthening site-level grid capacity, expanding financial incentives and public investment, aligning regulations with market realities, and improving policymakers’ understanding of construction practices.

Keywords: Engineering; Zero emission vehicles; All terrain vehicles; Technology adoption; Electric vehicle charging; Interviews; Policy analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-01-01
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/4qk0182c.pdf;origin=repeccitec (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt4qk0182c

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series from Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Lisa Schiff ().