Alternative Fuel News Highlights
Clean Heavy Duty Vehicle Grant Program
On April 24, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency made nearly $1 billion available to replace existing non-zero-emission, heavy-duty vehicles with zero-emission vehicles, support zero-emission vehicle infrastructure and train and develop workers. The EPA will offer funding to eligible recipients to replace existing non-zero-emission Class 6 and 7 heavy-duty vehicles with eligible Class 6 and 7 zero-emission vehicles. Eligible applicants include states, municipalities including school districts, tribes and nonprofit school transportation authorities. Applications are due July 25, 2024. Click here to learn more.
Community Taking Charge Accelerator funding opportunity
The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, through the Department of Energy (DOE), has made available $54 million in new federal funding for projects that will expand community e-mobility access and provide clean reliable energy. The funding will drive innovation in equitable clean transportation and is aligned with strategies detailed in the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization. This program will make strategic investments at the local level that address key barriers to expanding access to electrified mobility options for individuals without home charging; accelerate the transition to electrified fleets; and mature the implementation of managed charging systems to mitigate impacts and optimize usage of the grid.
Clean Bus Planning Awards Program
Funded by the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, the Clean Bus Planning Awards Program reduces barriers to zero-emission bus deployment. It provides school and transit bus fleets with free technical assistance to develop comprehensive and customized fleet electrification transition plans. Fleets do not receive direct funding – selected applicants will be allocated technical assistance resources by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Applications are accepted and selected on a rolling basis.
Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Program released in June
The Federal Highway Administration released the next round of the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Program this month per the U.S. Department of Transportation webpage. Please refer to the current round of funding documents for more information on this opportunity. Another round of federal national electric vehicle infrastructure set-aside competitive funding is also planned to be available later this month. The last round of federal NEVI set-aside funds was allocated toward the Electric Vehicle Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator Program, but the next round may be different within the purpose “to make grants to States and localities that require additional assistance to strategically deploy electric vehicle charging infrastructure.”
Every Day Counts Greenhouse Gas Initiative
The Federal Highway Administration published a new website to host products from the Every Day Counts Greenhouse Gas Initiative (EDC-7), including webinar recordings, case studies, fact sheets and links to other helpful resources. FHWA held an Integrating Greenhouse Gas Emissions into Planning webinar in February to kick off a series that will focus on steps agencies can take to integrate GHG emission reductions into their transportation planning process.
New tools & resources
EPRI’s eRoadMAP™ identifies when, where and how much load EVs will represent across the U.S. grid. EVI-X has new and improved tools available on the AFDC website to run adoption scenarios. The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation released an EV Infrastructure Playbook of interactive resources to help communities plan and build the infrastructure needed to support a zero-emission transportation system.
Muscatine to apply for federal grant to purchase electric buses
According to a recent news article, Muscatine City Council voted to apply for a federal grant that would help buy two electric buses. If approved, the grant would also pay for a new building to house buses and charging stations and train staff on electric vehicle maintenance.
Cedar Rapids seeks funding to replace five diesel buses with hybrids
In a quest to be carbon-free by 2050, Cedar Rapids is transitioning to lower-emission vehicles. City officials are opting to seek federal funding to add five hybrid electric buses to their transportation fleet. Cedar Rapids Transit is looking to replace five 2011-model diesel buses with five new hybrid electric buses through the program. The city typically replaces two of its 30 or so buses each year. Read more here.
City of Dubuque plans for first electric bus
Dubuque’s first electric Jule bus is set to be delivered in December. Regarding Iowa’s winter weather and the effect on range, which can be reduced by up to 33%, the 35-ft. bus has a 220-mile range to allow it to run 140-160 miles per day year-round. They plan to apply for federal grant funding to receive two more buses and install charging stations at the bus garage. Learn more about the city’s ongoing initiatives here.
RNG breaks motor fuel usage records in 2023
The Transport Project (TTP) and Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas (RNG Coalition) announced that 79% of all on-road fuel used in natural gas vehicles in calendar year 2023 was renewable natural gas, surpassing the previous year’s record-breaking level. Visit the Biomass Magazine webpage for more information.
Plug-in electric vehicle battery replacements due to failure have been very rare since model year 2015
A study by Recurrent of about 15,000 vehicles from model years 2011 to 2023 showed that plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) battery replacements due to failure have been rare, at 1.5%, outside of recalls. For PEVs from model years 2016 to 2023, battery replacement rates due to failure were well under 1% and most would have been covered by the manufacturer's warranty. EV batteries have continued to improve with technologies such as active liquid cooling and other strategies that optimize thermal battery management, as well as new and improved chemistries. With greater numbers of PEVs and more years of data, a clearer picture should emerge on the longevity of newer battery packs, which will be critical for long-term owners and the used PEV market. To learn more about this initiative, visit the Department of Energy’s webpage.
U.S. Department of the Treasury, IRS release final rules on provision to expand reach of clean energy tax credits through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda
The Inflation Reduction Act’s transferability provisions allow businesses to transfer all or a portion of any of 11 clean energy credits to a third-party in exchange for tax-free immediate funds, so that businesses can take advantage of tax incentives if they do not have sufficient tax liability to fully utilize the credits themselves. Entities without sufficient tax liability were previously unable to realize the full value of credits, which raised costs and created challenges for financing projects. The Inflation Reduction Act also allows tax-exempt and governmental entities to receive elective payments for 12 clean energy tax credits, including the major Investment and production tax credits, as well as tax credits for electric vehicles and charging stations. To learn more about the transferability of tax credits, visit the Federal Register webpage.
