New Jersey awards $32 million for electric buses and charging
According to the department, more than $18 million has been allocated through the second round of the Electric School Bus Grant Program. The funding will support the purchase of 53 battery-electric school buses and the installation of 41 associated chargers, including fast-charging units. A further $13.6 million has been awarded through the EV Charging Grant Program to fund 26 projects installing publicly accessible charging stations at locations such as town centres, retail sites, multi-unit housing and transit hubs.
Just last year, the department had earmarked 20 million dollars for new electric school buses and a further $10 million for infrastructure.
“The transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in New Jersey,” said Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette. “These grant programs are advancing New Jersey’s long-term electric-vehicle emission reduction goals by replacing diesel school buses that emit harmful pollutants with clean electric buses and by expanding public and private charging infrastructure in our communities.”
The electric school bus funding represents the second tranche of a programme authorised in 2022 and backed by up to $45 million over three years. It is financed through the Clean Energy Fund administered by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. Grant recipients include school districts and bus contractors across northern, central and southern New Jersey, with 11 awards directed to overburdened communities.
In parallel, the EV Charging Grant Program will fund the installation of 82 charging stations with 136 fast-charging ports across 16 counties. The new installations will add to an existing network of more than 1,900 fast-charging ports and over 3,100 Level 2 chargers already in operation statewide.
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