Albany, NY (WRGB) — Automotive and trucking industry stakeholders say New York’s ambitious electric vehicle mandate goals are coming too soon, and charging infrastructure is not keeping pace.
In a hearing Thursday in Albany, those stakeholders joined energy experts to testify on the progress in putting that infrastructure in place. Starting this year, heavy-duty truck manufacturers have to start selling a certain amount of electric trucks. Responding to concerns late in 2024, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation chose to hold off on enforcing the mandate. But critics say it’s not enough.
“Our path forward on zero emission vehicles requires time for infrastructure to be built out and the market to mature to support the next generation of vehicles,” says Kendra Helms, president of the Trucking Association of New York. “There is not a single publicly available on-highway charging station built for medium and heavy-duty vehicles [in New York].”
Helms says the trucking industry is already seeing financial deficits from the Advanced Clean Trucks mandate.
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New York State wants to see zero-emission vehicles make up 35 percent of all new passenger vehicles sold in the state by 2026, hoping to reach 100 percent by 2035.
In joint testimony, New York’s state and regional automobile dealer associations said the state could miss its zero-emission vehicle sales goals if the infrastructure concerns are not addressed.
“The economic reality of the transition to electric vehicles is that New York must make fast charging stations available, and quickly, or else consumers will not purchase new electric vehicles. New York shares borders with New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Vermont. If fast charging stations are not widely available in the near future, and auto manufacturers are forced to comply with CARB standards, including ACT II standards set to take effect with 2026 model year vehicles (expected to hit the market in mid-2025) that requires all new cars, pickup trucks and SUV’s to be Zero-Emission by 2035, consumers will simply not purchase electric vehicles in New York. They will instead travel to nearby states where they can purchase an internal combustion engine vehicle, potentially crippling the New York auto industry, costing New York good jobs and significant tax revenue,” writes a coalition of automobile dealer groups.
The dealer associations say they support the transition to electric vehicles, but it must keep pace with infrastructure and what consumers want.
Assemblywoman Didi Barrett chairs the Standing Committee on Energy; she says her office hears almost daily frustration on the slow rollout of infrastructure.
“To date there are 4,561 total publicly available Level 2 and Level 3, which is the fast-charging stations,” says Assemblywoman Barrett, “a total of 15,924 charging ports in the state serving approximately 271,000 EVs currently on New York roads.”
But automobile dealers dispute those numbers. They say New York hosts fewer than 120 Level 3 chargers, and more than 500 Level 2 chargers. The U.S. Department of Energy has a map of available chargers across the U.S. and Canada. Searching for Level 2 and Level 3 DC Fast Chargers in New York State brings back 4,425 public stations.
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Others testifying Thursday, offering a less cynical viewpoint.
“Today I will highlight three key themes. First, New York has made notable progress in accelerating charging deployment in the last three years. Second, EV charging infrastructure remains a nascent market in need of continued support and regulatory certainty, but an ecosystem of developers and construction companies is beginning to emerge. And finally number three, all roads pass through New York,” says National Grid Director of Transportation Electrification Brian Wilkie.
“Preparing our highways to be the cornerstone of corridor charging in the greater region is underway and will continue to bring revenue and commerce to our state,” adds Wilkie.
Lawmakers asked panelists from the energy sector about the State’s mandate to electrify school bus fleets.
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“One of our frustrations is this mandate on the electric school bus and how the ACT Regulation is moving things up on a really quick time frame,” says Republican Assemblyman Philip Palmesano of Corning. Districts are expected to electrify entire fleets by 2035. New York State won’t have to convert its fleet of medium and heavy-duty vehicles until 2040.
“Doesn’t it seem like it would make more sense for the State of New York to convert their fleet first to show what they can do, what can be done, what the costs are to get the kinks and the quirks out, versus making our school districts quite frankly be the guinea pig for this experiment?” asks Assemblyman Palmesano.
Palmesano points out that the State can back out of the mandate for its own fleet if it doesn’t prove feasible; school districts cannot.
You can read more of CBS6’s coverage on EV mandates and how districts, industries, and consumers are reacting–check out our special broadcast Charging Ahead: NY’s EV Future: