State Rep. Carrie Woerner, D-Round Lake, is pictured during a listening session with students at Hudson Valley Community College.

Electric vehicles may not require a front license plate if legislation introduced recently in the state Legislature is approved.

Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, D-Round Lake, recently introduced legislation (A.6323) that would authorize number stickers to be used in lieu of number plates on electric vehicles.

“New York strongly encourages the use of electric vehicles to combat climate change,” Woerner wrote in her co-sponsorship memorandum. “As the total number of electric vehicles on the road continues to increase, the state must find ways to accommodate the special needs of electric vehicles and their owners. One problem some electric vehicle owners face is the lack of the ability to easily mount front license plates on their cars and trucks. This has resulted in many drivers being ticketed, in some instances on multiple occasions.”

Tesla drivers have reported being ticketed for not having a front license plate in states that require front plates. Thirty states require front license plates to allow law enforcement to more easily identify a vehicle. States with cashless tolling also use the front license plate to identify vehicles that don’t have an E-Z pass transponder.

Most vehicles sold come with brackets for front and back license plates. Teslas, though, have been sold with sticky tape that can be placed on the front bumper to hold a front license plate, or Tesla owners have to get a special license plate frame and drill into the bumper of their car.

Woerner says the state should do more to accommodate electric vehicle manufacturers.

“To mount a standard license plate on the front of some electric vehicles, drivers must purchase special license plate frames and drill into their bumpers to attach them. Such frames can block important sensors that are used for cruise control and collision avoidance and may compromise the structural integrity of the bumpers. This bill authorizes the Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles to develop a license sticker that would make it easier for electric vehicle owners to display a front license number without having to buy after-market products or drill into their vehicles. License stickers could be easily installed by wrapping them around the front bumper of an electric vehicle without covering any sensors.”