EPA Awards Over $735 Million for Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles

Dec. 11, 2024

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that 70 applicants across 27 states, three Tribal Nations, and one territory have been selected to receive approximately $735 million to assist in the purchase of over 2,000 zero-emission vehicles through its first-ever Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program.

EPA’s Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant program, created by the Inflation Reduction Act, will replace existing internal combustion engine heavy-duty vehicles with zero-emission vehicles, while also supporting the build out of clean vehicle infrastructure, as well as the training of workers to deploy these new zero-emission technologies. Proposed replacement vehicles include battery-electric box trucks, cargo trucks, emergency vehicles, refuse/recycling haulers, school buses, shuttle buses, step vans, transit buses, utility vehicles, and other vocational vehicles. The program is also expected to fund a small number of hydrogen fuel cell transit buses.

Selected Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program recipients include:

• Boston Public Schools  has been selected to receive an anticipated $35,079,653 to replace 125 Class 7 heavy-duty diesel and propane school buses with new, zero-emissions electric units, as well as charging provided by 125 Direct Current Fast Chargers, with advanced load management and sharing capability. 

• Saint Louis Public Schools  has been selected to receive an anticipated $10,128,735 to replace 30 Class 6/7 diesel buses with Class 6/7 zero-emission buses to reduce the district’s emissions of nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and greenhouse gases. The project will directly improve the air quality for students, staff, and community members and reduce district transportation costs. In addition, the district plans to leverage a public private partnership with Highland Electric Fleets (Highland) to ensure cost-effective use of EPA funding and successful implementation of the project.

• North Central Texas Council of Governments  has been selected to receive an anticipated $60,000,000. NCTCOG will award rebates to program beneficiaries to replace approximately 234 vocational vehicles with 234 zero-emission vehicles. Specific projects will be identified through a Call for Projects to select rebate recipients. Based on a regional fleet survey conducted to inform this proposal, NCTCOG expects the fleet mix to consist mainly of box trucks, step vans, and refuse haulers; most new vehicles will be battery electric with a few hydrogen fuel cell vehicle pilot projects. Each project is expected to include supporting infrastructure. NCTCOG will also develop a regional ZEV workforce development plan, implement priorities identified through the plan and host first responder training specific to ZEV.

• Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community  has been selected to receive an anticipated $190,000. SMSC will use grant funding to replace its laundry truck with an all-electric alternative. It has existing charging infrastructure onsite that can be used while it waits for new charging infrastructure to be installed closer to where the vehicle will be parked, enabling the new truck to be in service as quickly as possible.  

The selected projects will reduce harmful emissions from heavy-duty vehicles, support good-paying jobs, and improve air quality in communities across the country, particularly in those that have been overburdened by air pollution.

Technical Assistance

The Joint Office offers free and customizable technical assistance to help states, communities, tribal governments, transit agencies, and school districts plan and deploy zero-emission fueling and charging infrastructure, as well as zero-emission vehicles.

Send a request to the Joint Office.