The New York Truck Voucher Incentive Program has been renewed with more than $20 million in available funds, including more than $9 million from the federal Volkswagen settlement.
The program permanently removes medium and heavy-duty diesel trucks and buses and replaces them with alternative-fueled vehicles.
A federal judge approved the settlement plan in October 2016 after Volkswagen installed devices that circumvented federal emissions standards for nitrogen oxides. New York received $127.7 million in the settlement, and the program’s renewal is the first use of settlement funds under the state’s Clean Transportation NY plan.
The plan strategically invests settlement funds to mitigate damages from emissions and adopt green vehicles and infrastructure on New York’s roadways.
The Truck Voucher Incentive Program, administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, reduces the costs of purchasing green trucks and buses by up to 95 percent. The latest funding will provide rebates for the purchase of more than 600 new green trucks and buses.
The program will eventually be expanded to include all-electric school buses, all-electric cargo handling equipment, and all-electric transit buses.
New York’s goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and be carbon neutral by 2050.