The New Jersey Motor Truck Association is criticizing the electric truck mandate that is part of the state’s climate change regulations known as NJ PACT.
“Make no mistake, the requirement to electrify trucks will result in a truckload of cost increases on New Jersey consumers, since everything gets to the store or our front door via a truck,” said Eric DeGesero, lobbyist for the NJ Motor Truck Association in a statement issued Thursday.
“In a little over four months, NJ PACT regulations mandate truck manufacturers sell one electric heavy-duty truck for every 10 regular heavy-duty trucks go into effect. Heavy duty electric trucks cost three times a regular truck, there is no charging infrastructure, and the cost to build charging infrastructure is prohibitive.
“While the State of New Jersey and NJ TRANSIT don’t need to worry about the cost to buildout a small amount of heavy vehicle charging infrastructure – since they are receiving funding from the federal government, taxes on fuel, and a 15% fare increase – the cost is certainly a huge concern for businesses who must pay for their own charging infrastructure, assuming the electric utility can even provide the power,” DeGesero said.
“And on top of that, New Jerseyans also pay dramatically higher electric rates. The bottom line is that these costs will most certainly be passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices on everything they buy — in the local grocery store or online,” he said.
“According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration in May 2024 New Jerseyans pay 27% more for electricity than the national average, and effective June 1, 2024, electric rates increased 6%. This NJ PACT regulation impacts every medium and heavy duty truck all the way down to medium duty trucks such as super duty pickups and contractor vans,” he said.
“In effect, this new regulation will be another tax on consumers, small businesses, and farmers, all of whom are paying higher electric rates, and even property taxpayers, since municipal and county governments are covered by this regulation,” he said. “The New Jersey Legislature has never authorized a NJDEP regulation that penalizes the sale of medium- and heavy-duty trucks that aren’t electric.”
