Makers of heavy trucks — scoundrels, allegedly — have come under fire from environmentalist groups for not doing more to sell electric heavy trucks, of which there are only about a thousand on the road at the moment.

Then again, via the New York Times:

Only nine fast charging stations in the United States are capable of serving heavy trucks, according to data from the Department of Energy.

Oh.

The truck makers argue that they can’t be expected to sell battery-powered trucks when there are hardly any places to charge them. Electric trucks require extremely powerful chargers and, as a result, bigger connections to the electrical grid than are readily available. Many utilities have to upgrade old distribution lines, transformers and other equipment to be able to deliver the energy needed to refuel multiple trucks simultaneously.

Brien Sheahan, head of government relations and regulatory affairs at Navistar, said one customer had ordered a fleet of electric trucks and installed 20 chargers at its depot. But, he said, “they couldn’t get it energized by the utility.”

Oh.

Shortcomings in the electrical grid are “going to be a constraint on our ability to scale the industry,” said Mr. Sheahan, a former chairman and chief executive of the Illinois Commerce Commission, which regulates electric utilities.

It’s almost as if the demands being put on the industry bear no relation to what is currently achievable.

The Times’ report contained a few other details:

An electric truck requires a big, heavy battery that reduces how much stuff the vehicle can haul.

Zero-emissions trucks are also two or three times more expensive than diesel trucks, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, although prices are expected to drop as companies increase production.

All is well.