In launching the nearly $1 billion Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently offered an incentivizing path for replacing polluting heavy-duty vehicles with zero-emission vehicles.
“EPA’s Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program will slash climate and air pollution and enhance the country’s infrastructure by funding the deployment of zero-emissions vehicles and installation of supporting infrastructure,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said. “The program’s historic investment in zero-emission vehicles will secure our nation’s position as a global leader in clean technologies that address the impacts of climate change.”
The program will advance eligible Class 6 and 7 no emission vehicles and fund zero-emission vehicle fueling infrastructure and workforce development and training efforts through a mix of competitive awards. Currently, more than 3 million Class 6 and 7 vehicles are in use across the country, by the EPA’s figures, which refers to everything from box trucks to school buses, refuse haulers, dump trucks, street sweepers, bucket trucks, utility trucks and delivery trucks.
Currently, the transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. The EPA noted that most vehicles eligible for replacement under the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program are powered by internal combustion engines that pre-date more recent EPA emission standards, meaning they produce pollutants such as nitrous oxide, fine particulate matter and greenhouse gasses. Updates like these come in addition to work already being undertaken on electrifying light-duty vehicles nationwide.
Under this funding opportunity, though, will be two separate sub-program competitions: the School Bus Sub-Program for replacing school buses and the Vocational Vehicles Sub-Program for replacing other heavy duty vehicles. Eligible applicants include states, municipalities, Tribes, territories and nonprofit school transportation associations. At least 15 grants will likely go to Tribes and territories, and stipulations of the Inflation Reduction Act require at least $400 million of funding to go to one or more communities dealing with significant pollution.
A majority 70 percent of the funding should go for the school bus side of the program, while the approximately 30 percent remaining funding should go for projects under the Vocational Vehicles Sub-Program, according to the EPA.
The deadline for applications is July 25, 2024, with awards expected to follow before the end of the year.