A coalition of environmental organizations and clean fuel economy firms this month is urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign legislation meant to make electric vehicle charging affordable and inexpensive. 

At issue is a bill that would address how utlities set electricity usage rates and would address the charging of light, medium and heavy-duty electric vehicles like buses through regulators at the Public Service Commission. 

The measure and the push by dozens of organizations for its approval underscores the myriad logistics of transitioning the state's transportation network to clean fuel and phase out gas and diesel-powered vehicles. 

The push for the legislation comes as New York in the coming decades is required to sharply reduce carbon fuel usage as a way of curtailing the effects of climate change. 

"Signing this bill will enable New York’s entire transportation ecosystem to go electric, from public transit to school buses to delivery vehicles to drivers without dedicated parking," the groups wrote in a letter sent last week to Hochul's office.

The measure would set tariffs to address different and specific energy load profiles. Supporters of the bill want to make the cost of charging a vehicle in a suburban garage comparable to a ride on a downtown electric bus. 

And, they want to avoid problems that could arise in which "suburban drivers can charge their EV at home at low cost, and the other where punitive demand charges limit charging infrastructure for personal, public transit and fleet electrification across all communities."

Thirty other states in the country have similar measures in place addressing electricity usage rates for charging.