(2) “Heavy-duty vehicle” means a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating equal to or greater than 14,001 pounds.

(3) “Medium-duty vehicle” means a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of not less than 8,501 pounds and not more than 14,000 pounds.

(b) (1) On or before December 1, 2023, the Department shall adopt regulations establishing requirements for the sale of new zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles in the State.

(2) The regulations adopted under paragraph (1) of this subsection shall:

(i) Update existing regulations;

(ii) Incorporate by reference the California Air Resources Board’s Advanced Clean Trucks regulations, as revised and updated; and

(iii) Subject to subsection (d) of this section, take effect starting with model year 2027.

(c) (1) The Department, in consultation with the Department of Transportation, the Department of General Services, the Maryland Energy Administration, and the Public Service Commission, shall prepare a needs assessment and deployment plan relating to the successful implementation of regulations adopted under this section.

(2) The needs assessment and deployment plan shall assess and plan for:

(i) The additional electrical capacity, transmission, distribution demands, and hydrogen fueling demands that will result from implementation of the regulations, and the ability of the State’s electric utilities, grid, and hydrogen infrastructure to meet those demands, based on publicly available information and existing analyses;

(ii) The number of zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicle recharging and refueling stations recommended for implementation of the regulations, and the costs, permitting processes, and timelines for installing those stations;

(iii) The purchase incentives and other mechanisms recommended for successful implementation of the regulations, including incentives for recharging and refueling stations and related infrastructure, and the existing and potential sources of funding for those incentives and mechanisms; and

(iv) The timeline, economic feasibility, and models available for transitioning medium- and heavy-duty vehicles in the State vehicle fleet, including State-contracted medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, to zero-emission vehicles.

(3) On or before December 1, 2024, the Department shall submit the needs assessment and deployment plan to the General Assembly in accordance with § 2-1257 of the State Government Article.

(d) The Department may delay implementation of the regulations authorized under this section by one or more model years if, after consulting with the Department of Transportation, the Department of General Services, the Maryland Energy Administration, and the Public Service Commission, the Department determines, based on criteria identified through the needs assessment and deployment plan, that implementation of the regulations is not yet feasible.