New Jersey Board of Public Utilities announces order for charging of medium and heavy duty vehicles

(TRENTON, New Jersey - Oct. 28, 2024) The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities last week announced an order directing the state's electric utilities to create new programs to expand charging access for medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles and fleets. The order sets the stage for utilities to expand essential infrastructure for vehicle electrification and is a long-awaited step forward in the NJBPU's efforts to develop and expand charging infrastructure. The order provides several provisions for ensuring charging is targeted towards the state's most overburdened communities, including specific items for make-ready charging and bonus incentives for municipalities adjacent to freight corridors.

"Environmental Defense Fund commends the NJBPU on prioritizing overburdened communities as they advance medium- and heavy-duty vehicle charging infrastructure. Centering environmental justice in this process is essential to ensuring positive health outcomes and that the communities who are most impacted by freight pollution are the first to see benefits from electrification."

• Dr. Karla Sosa, New Jersey State Affairs Project Manager

This order comes alongside a $250 million grant from the EPA to fund charging infrastructure for commercial medium- and heavy-duty vehicles along the I-95 freight corridor, which passes through New Jersey. Transportation accounts for almost 40% of the state's greenhouse gas emissions and medium- and heavy-duty vehicles account for a large portion of those pollutants. Cutting harmful emissions from medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, including local air pollutants like particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide, is key to reaching both state climate goals and alleviating health impacts across the state but is especially critical for overburdened communities who experience the worst effects of vehicle pollution.