The Assembly Transportation Committee reported out legislation on Wednesday to delay a mandate which would otherwise have required medium- and heavy-duty truck manufacturers to sell only battery-powered vehicles in the Garden State effective January 1, 2025.
The bipartisan legislation (A4967) covering vehicles over 8,500 pounds would push the mandate’s onerous restrictions back by two years, to January 1, 2027, into the term of whichever governor will succeed Phil Murphy who leaves office in January 2026. States including Oregon and Massachusetts have taken similar steps to extend the timeframe for implementation of their own respective mandates.
“Forcing dealers to sell only battery-powered commercial trucks in just three weeks when we do not have the infrastructure or the demand is a death wish for New Jersey’s small and medium-sized businesses and the state’s economy,” said Assemblyman Michael Inganamort (R-24), a co-sponsor of the legislation.
EV mandates have increasingly fallen out of favor with economists and business leaders alike. Inganamort also noted that the current rule is a click-and-paste job derived from California’s widely-panned low emissions vehicle program. Just last month, Toyota warned California that its mandate wasn’t workable.
“I have not seen a forecast by anyone […] government or private, anywhere that has told us that that number is achievable. At this point, it looks impossible,” Toyota Moto North America COO Jack Hollis explained to reporters. “Demand isn’t there. It’s going to limit a customer’s choice of the vehicles they want.”
“New Jersey is still not California, despite Governor Murphy’s promise to make it so. These regulations – copied word from word from California law – simply don’t work in New Jersey. That’s been affirmed in every conversation I’ve had with those in my legislative district who would be impacted, from firefighters in Sandyston to a small transportation business in Green Township,” added Inganamort.
The Assemblyman explained how the Sandyston Fire Department – responsible for a 74-square mile portion of Sussex County, New Jersey – utilizes two trucks which were built in the early 2000s. The Murphy EV mandate would make it illegal for manufacturers to sell the department a replacement tanker.
“These trucks save lives by putting out fires and plowing our roads. We need them to tow our cars, dispose of our garbage, and deliver our goods. I’m glad the committee delayed the regulations today, though I don’t think they’ll be any more practical or wise two years from now,” continued Inganamort, a former mayor. “At least we will have time to fight their implementation and protect our volunteer first responders and small businesses who would be hurt the most.”
