Still no publicly available charging for commercial vehicles; $10B-$15B investment needed to support full electrification of WA commercial vehicle sector

Olympia, WA – June 30, 2025 – Washington state has failed to provide the necessary infrastructure and other investments to successfully facilitate the zero-emission transition it seeks for commercial trucking — a major lifeline in the state’s trade-dependent economy — and is preempted by federal law from pursuing amendments to its Clean Vehicles Program.

In a letter sent Friday to the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology), Washington Trucking Associations President & CEO Sheri Call outlined the myriad shortcomings of the state’s Clean Vehicles Program (CVP) for commercial vehicles. Given recent federal action, Washington is currently preempted by Section 209 of the Clean Air Act from further adoption or enforcement provisions of the CVP rules that apply to the ACT. Yet Ecology is proceeding with amendments to the program.

“While there is no room to speculate about what the courts or Congress may do in the future related to the action taken pursuant to the CRA at the time of this rulemaking, Washington is preempted by federal law from adopting the proposed amendments and should explore the repeal of provisions mirroring the ACT given EPA will be barred from issuing a waiver for a rule identical to the ACT in the future,” the letter states.

Chief among the WTA’s concerns about the proposed rule changes:

• According to two national infrastructure databases, Washington has no publicly available charging infrastructure accessible to commercial vehicles.

o   The Washington State Department of Commerce’s Transportation Electrification Strategy (TES) states that approximately 1,400 charging ports should have been available by 2025 to support an estimated 7,000+ commercial EVs.

o   TES also estimates that 9,740 charging ports will be required by 2035 for an estimated 50,000 commercial EVs. By comparison, California predicted a need for 24,162 charging ports for 27,000 commercial EVs – a 5x discrepancy between WA and CA forecasts.

• Charging infrastructure may impact affordability.

o   Washington has not prepared for the impact of more commercial EVs on its electrical grid. A recent study estimates that Washington will need to invest $10 billion to $15 billion in its distribution grid to support full electrification of the commercial vehicle sector.

• Zero-emission truck prices are increasing: According to the California Air Resources Board (CARB), California zero-emission trucks have increased in price by an average of $86,512 since 2021-22, further complicating the transition to these new vehicles.
• California has invested $1.5 billion in incentives for its Hybrid Voucher Incentive Program or HVIP. By comparison, Washington has only just recently solicited a vendor to administer $126 million point of sale voucher program like California’s HVIP. To date no Washington vouchers have been issued.

“This state is failing one of the main arteries in its supply chain,” said Call. “We are asking the Department to recognize the serious substantive and procedural issues included in its Clean Vehicles Program. Washington should consider decoupling its efforts from California’s failed approach and work with its fleets, dealers and manufacturers on an approach that will advance zero-emission technologies without saddling Washington residents with increased energy prices and artificial scarcity of trucks.

“The state has not created the conditions in which the commercial trucking industry can successfully operate zero emission vehicles. Costs remain a serious impediment, and the technology continues to evolve,” added Call.

“We will get there eventually, but we need a partner in this effort. No one is investing in trucks they can’t use, and that’s a problem for the long-term health of our supply chain.”

About the Washington Trucking Associations
Since 1922, the Washington Trucking Associations (WTA) has served as the unified voice for the trucking industry in Washington. Member supported, WTA is dedicated to advocating sound public policies, providing excellence in education, training, and information, as well as promoting a safe, dependable, and efficient trucking industry in Washington For more information, visit www.watrucking.org.