Free Republic

Starting Jan. 1, Washington may halt sales of new motorhomes and large trucks powered by diesel or gasoline due to emissions regulations modeled after California’s standards. The new rules apply to vehicles with more than 8,500 pounds gross vehicle weight, impacting most RVs, medium- to heavy-duty trucks and interstate tractor-trailers. “This has caused quite a disruption in the industry,” Washington State Truckers Association CEO Sheri Call told KIRO Newsradio Thursday. The changes stem from California’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) legislation, which Washington lawmakers committed to follow in 2020. The RV and trucking industries are now bracing for a major shift...

...The RV industry saw it coming. Since 2020 it’s been working with CARB (the California Air Resources Board—creator of ACT) on how these regulations would affect the industry and RVers. Industry had hoped CARB would work in an exemption for recreational vehicles. That didn’t happen. The situation is further complicated by more than just the ACT regulation. It also involves a trio of regulations passed in the last two to three years: the ACT, the Omnibus Low NOx rule, and the Advanced Clean Fleets rule. Together, these regulations are designed to transition medium- and heavy-duty vehicles to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs)...

German motorhome manufacturer Hymer introduced a concept named Galileo that argues autonomous technology will make motels obsolete in a distant future. The boxy, glass-walled design study drives itself so its occupants can enjoy the view without needing to keep an eye on the road ahead, and get a full night's sleep without stopping when they're ready to call it a day. From the outside, Hymer's Galileo looks a lot like the dozens of box-shaped concept shuttles we've seen at major auto and tech shows in recent years. It has the proportions of a toaster oven, sliding side doors, and wheels...