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The South Coast Air Quality Management District's three-tiered Air Quality Management Plan, adopted in March 1989 and subsequently approved by the California Air Resources Board, places major emphasis on the development and commercialization of Low Emitting Vehicles (LEVs) and Extremely Low Emitting Vehicles (ELEVs) to attain ambient air quality standards in the Los Angeles basin, no later than 2007. Electric vehicles are currently the lowest emission vehicle technology under development and commercialization, and therefore represent key vehicle technologies for Tiers II and III. This paper presents an overview of the various activities underway in Southern California to overcome the critical technological barriers and allow EVs to realize their full potential. The SCAQMD encourages battery and component manufacturers to aggressively pursue the potential for EVs to displace large numbers of gasoline-powered vehicles as soon as possible.

Among on-road motor vehicles, diesel-fueled heavy-duty trucks emit disproportionately high amounts of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulate matter (PM). The trucking industry has taken an active interest in the use of engines powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) to reduce NOx and PM emissions. However, major barriers exist to widespread use of LNG in trucking applications, including reduced performance and higher initial capital costs compared to diesel-fueled vehicles, as well as a limited fueling infrastructure. To help address these barriers, the California Energy Commission (Commission) joined with the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) and the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (DOE/NREL) in cost sharing a program led by the West Coast Transportation Technology Group of Arthur D. Little, Inc. (ADLittle).