Cohoes — Starting in 2025, New York will require manufacturers to sell an increasing number of electric heavy-duty trucks year after year. Industry executives, and now politicians on both sides, say the infrastructure is not in place to ease the transition.

The DEC says historic investments have been made in electric vehicle chargers to meet demand, but some also question the power grid’s ability to accommodate charging multiple 18-wheelers simultaneously.

“There’s another major problem looming in this whole transition, which is that the utility companies are having a very difficult time providing the capacity to have these charging stations,” said Democratic Rep. John McDonald .

National Grid says fleets of all sizes should engage with them to make this process easier, but also told CBS6 they currently have the supply needed to meet fleet needs in the short term.

As for the long term, they highlight the “Upstate Upgrade” investment aimed at increasing transmission capacity and reliability.

“For the first time, National Grid and other utilities will proactively offer grid infrastructure to prepare electric fleets,” a National Grid spokesperson said.

The state Civil Service Commission is part of this process. The EV “Make-Ready” program launched in November 2023, increasing funding with the aim of expanding the number of fast charging stations from 1,500 to 6,302.

Their latest charging site update, shared Friday, shows six more potential sites for use across the state. So far, these dozens of new chargers installed in recent years are on the lower end of what heavy-duty trucks would need for fast charging.

This is a key aspect of moving ACT regulations forward, but trucking industry leaders say locations must be reviewed and implemented before compliance is expected.

“The PSC study is intended to identify areas where we should focus our efforts, because this is a huge undertaking,” said Truckers Association of New York President Kendra Hems. “We don’t want to put charging where it won’t be used. So it has to be done strategically.”

But it will take time, as it is an 18-month study that has lawmakers looking for other clean solutions.

“We need to start thinking about what we can do in the meantime to reduce emissions,” says Rep. Carrie Woerner (D-D). “Changing the rule to include clean diesel, an alternative to biofuels, is a way to both stay focused on our goal while being responsive to conditions on the ground.”