The state Department of Environmental Protection has announced the availability of $20 million in grant funds to aid in the purchase of electric school buses and installation of public electric charging stations.
The announcement Sept. 17 coincides with National Drive Electric Month, which runs from Sept. 12 to Oct. 12 and celebrates the benefits of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
The DEP’s Electric School Bus Program provides $10 million in grants for school districts and contractors who supply bus services to districts in an effort to replace diesel-fueled buses with clean energy electric buses.
The companion DEP program is its EV Charging Grant Program, with $10 million available for the installation of fast-charging stations near multiunit housing and transit stations. The DEP announcement says that New Jersey now boasts nearly 250,000 EVs on the road, with electric vehicles now making up 14% of new vehicle registrations.
The announcement also states that to date, the state has awarded $55 million for the purchase of 169 school buses. In an August report, the DEP said there are 21,700 school buses registered in the state, with 99% of them running on fossil fuels.
Applications for the Electric School Bus Grant Program are due Friday, Sept. 26, and for the fast-charging electric vehicle stations applications will be accepted until Oct. 25. More information on the bus program is here. For the charging station grants, information is here.
Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
