US funds replacement of over 2,400 ICE trucks and buses with ZEV alternatives

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $735 million in funding for a total of 70 applicants and more than 2,400 zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles. About 70 per cent of the money will go towards zero-emission school buses.

It is the first time the agency has handed out subsidies through its ‘Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program.’ The selection of the above-mentioned applicants is still tentative, the EPA specifies. They are spread across 27 states, three Tribal Nations, and one territory.

While not all recipients are named in the EPA’s statement, it does mention that more than 35 million dollars will go to Boston Public Schools to replace 125 school buses with zero-emission ones and install 125 fast chargers “with advanced load management and sharing capability.” Saint Louis Public Schools will receive just over ten million dollars to replace 30 school buses.

A total of 60 million dollars will go to the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG). The latter will award rebates to replace 234 vocational vehicles with 234 zero-emission ones and will launch a call for projects at a later date. According to the EPA, most of the subsidised vehicles will be battery-electric, mainly box trucks, step vans, and waste collection vehicles. However, it expects to also fund “a few hydrogen fuel cell vehicle pilot projects.”

The ‘Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program’ was created as a result of the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Its goal is to accelerate the adoption and deployment of eligible Class 6 and 7 zero-emission vehicles. The main use of the EPA funding will thus be the replacement of existing internal combustion engine Class 6 and 7 heavy-duty vehicles with eligible zero-emission ones. However, the agency specifies that the money can also be invested in “clean vehicle infrastructure, as well as the training of workers to deploy these new zero-emission technologies.”

“From zero-emission freight vehicles to clean school buses for kids, the Biden-Harris Administration is advancing the next generation of clean transportation that will help reduce pollution and make our nation’s cities and communities healthier,” said White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi. “When paired with our investments in zero-emission port infrastructure and freight corridors, this Administration’s sector-wide approach to decarbonising transportation is delivering economic, social and environmental benefits to communities in every corner of the country.”

epa.gov