The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today awarded $2.9 million in grants for zero- or low-emissions vehicles, including nine fully electric long-haul tractor trailers.
The 2022 Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant (AFIG) funding is awarded to municipalities, schools, and businesses to support projects to replace older gasoline or diesel fueled vehicles with cleaner fuel vehicles and install related fueling infrastructure to improve air quality in Pennsylvania.
It builds on Gov. Josh Shapiro’s agenda to create a climate and energy plan that will grow Pennsylvania’s economy, protect and create jobs, and address climate change, DEP said.
The 28 funded projects will install 32 electric vehicle chargers for private and public use and put 95 electric vehicles, 24 compressed or renewable natural gas vehicles, and 11 propane vehicles on the road.
“The range of funded projects—our first funded electric 18-wheelers, a 40-car electric taxi fleet, electric scooters for a residential development, propane and electric buses and garbage trucks, and more—shows that interest in clean transportation is burgeoning among business and community leaders in Pennsylvania,” said DEP Secretary Rich Negrin.
The local projects by county are as follows:
Montgomery, Schuylkill, and York
- Current Trucking LLC: $300,000 for this contractor for FedEx Ground to purchase three electric long-haul tractor trailers.
- Evolve Logistics Group: $300,000 for this contractor for FedEx Ground to purchase three electric long-haul tractor trailers.
Berks
- K.L. Harring Transportation: $300,000 for this contractor to Bayer Pharmaceuticals to purchase three electric long-haul tractor trailers.
Cumberland
- Carlisle Borough: $37,500 for the purchase of five electric pickup trucks and light passenger trucks for use by the Borough’s Codes department, administrative staff, and police department.
- Cumberland County: $60,000 to buy six electric cars, one electric pickup truck, and one electric transit van for use by several county departments, including facilities, probation, and county conservation districts and $13,233 to install six level 2 chargers at two locations.
Dauphin
- Derry Township School District: $70,000 for seven propane school buses as part of their Propane School Bus Conversion Project.
Lebanon
- Lebanon County Housing Authority: $15,000 for the purchase of one electric car and one electric transit van.
The AFIG program supports the transition to alternative fuels including electricity, compressed natural gas, renewable natural gas, liquefied natural gas, propane, hydrogen, hythane, biodiesel, ethanol, methanol, and other advanced biofuels, DEP said.
Getting more zero- and low-emission vehicles on the road in Pennsylvania helps reduce harmful air pollutants, including nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds. It also helps lower the level of carbon dioxide, helping to address climate change.
The new grant awards are the second and final set of 2022 AFIG grants, following the first set of 2022 AFIG grants, totaling $1.5 million, announced in February.