California received $423 million from the Volkswagen (VW) Environmental Mitigation Trust to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions—a major contributor to unhealthy air quality throughout the state. A portion of this funding–$90 million–is going toward the Zero-Emission Class 8 Freight and Port Drayage Trucks category. The funds will be administered by South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) in an effort to reduce emissions from this heaviest weight class sector that has typically relied on diesel technologies.
The first installment of $27 million is approved, and applications will be made available online beginning Tuesday, August 18, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. (PT) until funds have been expended. Applications will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
South Coast AQMD hosted a webinar on August 12th at 10:00 a.m. to provide a comprehensive overview of the funding and application process.
Both private entities and government fleets that own and operate eligible vehicles may apply. Funding is available to replace vehicles with zero-emission technologies, including Class-8 freight trucks, drayage trucks, waste haulers, dump trucks and concrete mixers.
South Coast AQMD plans to maximize NOx reductions with the replacement of older, heavy duty vehicles. Projects throughout the state are eligible to receive funding, with at least 50% of the funds expected to benefit disadvantaged and low-income communities who are disproportionately affected by exposure to diesel emissions.
Webinar took place for Interested Applicants
On August 12th at 10:00 a.m. PT South Coast AQMD hosted a one-hour complimentary webinar that provided a comprehensive overview of the available funding, application process, and evaluation criteria to help interested participants build a competitive application.
Interested parties can find a link to the recorded webinar on the South Coast AQMD website.
