Will NJ's new electric truck rules ban RV sales?

⛽ New regulations on heavy-duty vehicles like dump trucks and RVs

⛽ NJBIA pushes state lawmakers to delay rules

⛽ Reports about RV bans circulate online

Regulations on new large vehicles including school buses and motorhomes will harm New Jersey dealers and consumers on day one, according to business advocates.

The Advanced Clean Truck rule will require vehicle manufacturers to sell an increasing number of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) over the next decade starting Jan. 1, 2025. It's the state's version of a similar rule created by the California Air Resources Board.

Dealers and consumers won't be forced to buy any of these electric trucks, buses, or RVs, according to a CARB memo and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

However, vehicle manufacturers that don't reach the mandated compliance numbers for ZEVs could face civil penalties. Major offenders could face fines between $2,500 and $30,000.

The rules do not apply to diesel military tactical vehicles and emergency vehicles like ambulances or fire trucks.

Manufactured by E-ONE®, this is the first fully electric fire North American style engine in Arizona (Photo: AP Business Wire)

Is NJ ready for electric trucks?

The New Jersey Business and Industry Association is pushing state lawmakers to delay the Advanced Clean Truck rule.

Ray Cantor, the NJBIA's deputy chief of government affairs, said the rules would hurt in-state dealers while consumers would simply go to Pennsylvania if they don't want to buy ZEV trucks.

Meantime, dealers would be stuck with trucks — forced upon them by manufacturers — that few people want to buy.

Cantor said the business community supports decarbonization of the transportation industry but New Jersey isn't ready.

Hyundai Motor and Plus’s Level 4 Autonomous Fuel Cell Electric Demonstration Truck (Photo: AP Business Wire)

"It's setting us up for failure. The trucks are too expensive, they don't meet the needs of the consumers who are buying them, the electricity is not there, the infrastructure is not there, which is why we're all for a delay in this program," Cantor said.

Bills introduced by democrats in the state legislature in late October would put off ACT rules until 2027. Republican state lawmakers and trucking groups in New York are making similar demands, while Connecticut dropped its plans to mandate the sale of electric vehicles just weeks ago.

Do new rules ban RVs in New Jersey?

With the new ACT rules set to take effect next month, confusion around what they mean has swirled online.

This partly stems from a report from RVtravel.com. The website says it was founded by a news editor and is now run by RV enthusiasts and experts.

The report said that six states including New Jersey were implementing climate rules to halt diesel motorhome sales. It was picked up by The Daily Caller, which also ran a headline saying RV sales would be banned.