RGGI Delivers: NJEDA Awards $12 Million To A Diesel Truck Voucher Program In First Step To Electrify Trucks on NJ Roads

Environment New Jersey

Trenton – The NJ Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) announced that it will use approximately $15.75 million from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) auction proceedings to fund a medium-duty zero-emission truck voucher program. This program will incentivize commercial and industrial entities to purchase medium-duty electric vehicles with vouchers of up to 100% of the incremental cost of the vehicles. NJEDA specified that this program is only a pilot, and is currently limited to vehicle classes 2b-6, with a specific focus on vehicles operating within overburdened communities, specifically the greater Newark and greater Camden areas.

The goal of this program is to move the state forward in terms of adoption of electric trucks and buses, and to eventually replace the diesel vehicles currently on the roads. This pilot program is based on similar truck voucher programs in New York, California, Maryland, and Chicago, which will inform a larger and broader program hereafter. This is the first concrete policy step the Murphy Administration has taken since signing a regional MOU last July to electrify medium- and heavy-duty vehicles across the state, with 30% of new truck purchases being electric by 2030.

Hayley Berliner, Clean Energy Associate with Environment New Jersey issued the following statement: 

“Diesel trucks are about ten times dirtier than gasoline cars due to the high levels of toxic pollutants that they emit. For this reason, it is crucial that we prioritize electrifying dirty diesel trucks, especially in environmental justice communities. The NJ ZIP pilot program will deliver electric trucks onto our roads, and is a great step forward for New Jersey to reduce air pollution, make our residents healthier, and reduce our impact on the climate. 

“This is the first step to dump dirty diesel trucks and electrify the trucks on New Jersey roads, and the first concrete policy to electrify trucks since the Murphy Administration committed to a regional agreement this summer to electrify a third of truck purchases in the next ten years. Many of these trucks will have relatively short trips, but it will be critical to also make investments in electric truck charging infrastructure as we move forward.

“We thank NJEDA CEO Tim Sullivan, and everyone at EDA for creating this important program and investing the RGGI dollars intelligently. We are excited to see how this pilot program goes, and will continue working with NJEDA to create more funding opportunities to electrify diesel vehicles across New Jersey.”

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