NY-NJ Port Opens $45M Electric-Truck Program
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and CALSTART are opening voucher and charging programs for zero-emission drayage trucks, terminal tractors, and port charging hubs.
Two Programs Target Port Trucks
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and CALSTART are launching two incentive programs totaling $45 million to push zero-emission trucks, terminal tractors, and charging infrastructure into port operations.
The larger piece is the Clean Truck Incentive Program, which will deploy up to $39 million in point-of-sale vouchers for zero-emission drayage trucks, yard tractors, and charging equipment. A second $5 million Green Drayage Accelerator is expected to support up to five electric-truck charging hubs within 10 miles of the port's seaport facilities.
Charging Is Part of the Package
The program is scheduled to begin this fall, with CALSTART serving as designer and administrator. The structure matters because vehicle vouchers without charging access can leave small operators with a truck they cannot use predictably.
Port officials framed the effort as support rather than a mandate. The programs are aimed at operators serving the East Coast's busiest container port, where drayage trucks move containers between marine terminals, warehouses, and distribution sites across the region.
EPA Grant Funds the Push
The truck and charging programs are part of a broader $451 million EPA Clean Ports Program grant awarded to the Port Authority. The grant will also support electric cargo-handling equipment, shore power for container ships, planning work, and community engagement.
For fleets, the signal is practical: grant programs are starting to bundle vehicle acquisition, charging capacity, reporting dashboards, and operating support. That is the mix drayage and terminal operators will need before electric trucks become normal equipment rather than one-off demonstrations.
