TRENTON – The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) announced on Wednesday the adoption of minimum filing requirements (MFRs) that direct the state’s investor-owned electric distribution companies (EDCs) to propose programs to expand charging access for medium-and-heavy-duty (MHD) electric vehicles (EVs) and fleets. The expansion of New Jersey’s EV charging ecosystem will catalyze the ongoing clean transition of the state’s fleet, yielding significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions within the state’s transportation sector and improving localized air quality.

New Jersey’s transportation sector accounts for nearly 40% of the state’s net GHG emissions, with MHD trucks and busses emitting an outsized share of those emissions. Low-income neighborhoods and communities of color are more likely to be exposed to these pollutants due to their disproportionate proximity to freight corridors, ports, and distribution centers. The adopted MFRs allow utilities to provide additional “bonus” incentives for overburdened municipalities and overburdened communities adjacent to Freight EV Corridors, as well as small businesses.

“On Oct 24th’s announcement by the BPU is a key part of my Administration’s whole-of-government approach to reducing harmful emissions from the transportation sector that negatively impact the health of our residents,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “Along with New Jersey’s action on Advanced Clean Trucks and the Clean Corridors Coalition, we are building a robust charging infrastructure for a clean transportation future.”

“Under Governor Murphy’s leadership and in coordination with New Jersey’s EDCs, the NJBPU remains at the forefront of advancing smart, clean transportation initiatives and infrastructure that provide considerable health and environmental benefits,” said NJBPU President Christine Guhl-Sadovy. “These benefits are especially vital to the overburdened communities that have borne the brunt of air pollution and its health effects for far too long.”

The MFRs will allow EDCs to propose incentives for the “Make Ready” chargers for public-serving fleets and certain private fleets located in or serving overburdened municipalities and overburdened communities adjacent to Freight EV Corridors.

To ensure that MHD EV charging is built in scalable ways that take capacity into account, the MFRs will connect applicants to utilities and require that utilities create and update capacity maps demonstrating where the grid is capable of supporting MHD charging. In addition, they provide the framework for proactive planning for public charging stations over 500 kW, fleets, and multi-unit dwellings. These planning and technical services will help ensure that these projects are connecting with utilities early and often, allowing for better grid planning and accelerating this critical piece of the 2019 Energy Master Plan.

The MFRs also require that EDCs create managed charging programs to balance the demand on the grid and encourage users to charge at night.

The adopted MFRs build upon the Murphy Administration’s ongoing efforts to promote clean transportation and expand EV charging infrastructure across the state. EDCs will be required to file their proposed programs with the Board within 120 days of the Order.

In July, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the selection of the Clean Corridor Coalition, led by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, to receive a nearly $250 million Climate Pollution Reduction Grant. The Clean Corridor Coalition – which includes the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Delaware Department of Transportation, and the Maryland Departments of the Environment and Transportation – aims to deploy EV charging infrastructure for commercial zero-emission MHD vehicles along the Interstate-95 freight corridor.

On Wednesday, the U.S. EPA and NJDEP announced the arrival of this historic funding at the Vince Lombardi Service Area in Ridgefield, New Jersey.

About New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program (NJCEP)
NJCEP, established on January 22, 2003, in accordance with the Electric Discount and Energy Competition Act (EDECA), provides financial and other incentives to the State's residential customers, businesses and schools that install high-efficiency or renewable energy technologies, thereby reducing energy usage, lowering customers' energy bills and reducing environmental impacts. The program is authorized and overseen by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU), and its website is www.NJCleanEnergy.com.

About the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) 
NJBPU is a state agency and regulatory authority mandated to ensure safe, adequate and proper utility services at reasonable rates for New Jersey customers. Critical services regulated by NJBPU include natural gas, electricity, water, wastewater, telecommunications and cable television. The Board has general oversight and responsibility for monitoring utility service, responding to consumer complaints, and investigating utility accidents. To find out more about NJBPU, visit our website at www.nj.gov/bpu.