The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced grants of $1 billion for replacing school buses with electric ones, as well as heavy-duty vehicles. The grants are under the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program, aiming to support the adoption and deployment of Class 6 and 7 electric vehicles. In addition, the program supports the charging infrastructure and workforce training.
These grants are divided into two sub-program competitions (approximately 70% of the funding is for the School Bus Sub-Program applications, while approximately 30% is for the Vocational Vehicles Sub-Program applications for Class 6 and 7 vehicles, including utility trucks, box trucks, delivery trucks, etc.). Furthermore, $400 million of the funding will be aimed toward projects in communities with significant pollution, according to the EPA’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
“In addition to all the progress we’re making to electrify light-duty vehicles, today’s funding from the EPA will catalyze projects that bring electric school buses, garbage trucks, and delivery vans to neighborhoods across America – reducing pollution in our communities and creating good-paying manufacturing jobs,” said John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy.
As the transport sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), the eligible vehicles for replacement are powered by ICEs that pre-date recent EPA emission standards and are associated with various serious health problems as a result of their pollution.
The program is funded through the Inflation Reduction Act. The deadline to apply for the 2024 Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program is July 25, 2024.
