The California Air Resources Board broke ground last Friday on its state-of-the-art Southern California headquarters. Located in Riverside, the 380,000 square foot location is slated to be among the world’s largest and most advanced vehicle emissions testing and research facilities. The full story is available at NGT News, but here are the bullets:

• The facility is designed to house research and testing of next-generation vehicles
• This continues a 50+ year legacy of CARB labs
• Previously, CARB has set pollution standards for cars and trucks and helped uncover the diesel engine cheating violations by Volkswagen
• The new headquarters will:
  • Be LEED Platinum
  • Be among the largest net-zero energy structures in the nation
  • Feature solar panels on roofs, walls and over parking lots, supplying over 3.5 MW of electricity
  • Include 120 charging stations for electric vehicles
  • Include light-, medium- and heavy-duty test cells
  • Have additional space for creating new testing methods for future vehicles
  • Have space for enhanced onboard diagnostics and portable emissions measurement system development
  • Feature a separate chemistry laboratory
  • Accommodate about 460 employees
  • Include a 250-person auditorium
• Construction will cost $419 million, which includes $108 million for specialized testing equipment
• $154 million comes from fines paid by Volkswagen for air quality violations related to the diesel car cheating case
• Additional funds will come from the Motor Vehicle Account, the Air Pollution Control Fund and the Vehicle Inspection Repair Fund
• Construction is slated to begin in February

This news is a clear indicator that the California Air Resources Board is expanding its efforts to research, test and regulate emissions. Are you ready? If you’re unsure, give us a call or take our confidential and complimentary risk analysis.