Truck sales in Massachusetts are frozen over new EV requirements
A showdown between state regulators and truck manufacturers has brought the market for new heavy vehicles in Massachusetts to a virtual standstill, challenging businesses from landscapers and long-haulers to the dealers who supply them.
The Healey administration on Jan. 1 instituted a requirement that electric vehicles make up at least 7 percent of new medium and heavy-duty trucks sold in Massachusetts. But dealers say the industry isn’t ready. And buyers, worried about costs and the logistics of charging, remain wary of electric vehicles for many applications.
Manufacturers “are muddying the waters on this and, in many cases, trying to pass the buck to dealers and fleets,” said Jordan Stutt, senior director for the northeast region at nonprofit CALSTART. “That’s unfortunate, because we know that there are plenty of available vehicles.”