NGVAmerica Update on Available Funding and Business Opportunities

NGVAmerica tracks available funding and business opportunities that are significant to the NGV industry. Below is information on five current and future opportunities.

Iowa DOT DERA Funding Notice

The Iowa Department of Transportation is now accepting applications for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s DERA grant program for diesel fleets in Clinton, Dubuque, Marshall, Polk, Pottawattamie, Story, and Woodbury counties in Iowa. The notice advises school districts, transit systems or company fleet managers in any of the targeted counties to visit the DERA grant website to read the program information guide and find out more about the grant process. The current total grant amount available in Iowa is $233,504, but the state is considering using funds from the Volkswagen emissions settlement to qualify for additional DERA funds. If the use of Volkswagen funds is approved, the total available DERA funding would be $583,760. The DERA grant program was formerly administered by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources but has been transferred to the Iowa DOT as of October 2017. The application deadline is December 20, 2017. More information on this funding opportunity is available here.

North Central Texas Council of Governments Request for Proposals for Alt Fuel Vehicles

NCTCOG is coordinating a bulk purchase procurement on behalf of several local governments for four alternative fuel vehicle platforms, including vehicles powered by CNG. Responses from authorized vehicle dealers in Texas are being sought through a Request for Proposals (RFP). Respondents should work with alternative fuel industry upfitters or other vendors as needed to be able to deliver vehicles in the desired alternative fuel configuration to participating fleets. Proposals must be received by December 22, 2017. The full RFP, including selection criteria, vehicle platforms, and other desired elements, will be available here on November 3, 2017.

This procurement is being administered as part of NCTCOG’s work in the Fleets for the Future project. Fleets for the Future is a national partnership organizing regional and national cooperative procurement initiatives of alternative fuel vehicles, in partnership with the National Association of Regional Councils. See AFV RFP website here.

NJ NGV Grant Program

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities has established a CNG heavy vehicle grant program available for trucks that are listed as heavy duty vehicles Class 5 through 8.  The $200,000 grant program will fund the incremental cost of a CNG powered vehicle over the equivalent diesel vehicle.  Awards will be capped at $20,000 per vehicle and $40,000 per applicant and will be processed on a first-come-first-served basis until funding is exhausted. Eligibility is limited to Class 5 through 8 trucks registered in the seven counties that the Air Quality Index was previously classified as unhealthy for sensitive groups for ten or more days in 2015 and 2016. These are the counties of Camden, Mercer, Middlesex, Bergen, Gloucester, Hudson, and Ocean counties. Eligible applicants for the grant program include municipalities, political subdivisions, incorporated nonprofit entities, corporations and limited liability companies or partnerships registered to do business in New Jersey.

The application window opens no sooner than November 20, 2017, and the window closes on December 20, 2017. Applications should be submitted to bpu.cngvehiclegrant@bpu.nj.gov, and application and documentation can be found here.

TCEQ Requests Information from AFV Suppliers

A notice released last month requests information to natural gas engines and vehicles that are eligible for funding under the Texas Natural Gas Vehicle Grant Program. This program is part of broader effort by the state to reduce NOx emissions. The TNGVGP provides grants to replace existing medium and heavy duty vehicles with new vehicles powered by CNG or LNG. Repowers and conversions also qualify. The purpose of the notice is to assist the state in compiling a list of approved NGVs and engines eligible for the grant funding. This request applies to new heavy duty on-road CNG and LNG engines, as well as new vehicles classified by the US EPA as medium duty passenger vehicles, 8,501 to 10,000 pounds GVWR. Chassis-certified heavy duty vehicles and certain CNG and LNG conversion systems may also be eligible to be included on the list. For purposes of this request, a respondent must be the manufacturer of the vehicle, engine, or conversion system certifying compliance with current federal NOx standards.

For additional information regarding this information request, please contact Ron Hieser, Implementation Grants Section, at 512.239.0244 or toll free at 800.919.8377, or visit the TNGVGP website here.

Tennessee Notice of Intent for NGV Funding

The Department of Environment and Conservation’s (TDEC’s) Office of Energy Programs (TDEC OEP) Notice of Intent indicates that it will issue a second round of funding under the Tennessee Natural Gas and Propane Vehicle Grant Program. The program assists public, non-profit, and private Tennessee-based fleets with the investment in and purchase of natural gas or propane-powered vehicles. The sound round of the program, managed by TDEC OEP, is limited to one application per grantee, per location. A total of $1.7 million will be available to pay up to 70 percent of the incremental purchase cost of eligible vehicles, with a maximum grant of $25,000 for each eligible vehicle. The maximum amount that may be awarded to a grantee shall not exceed $250,000. CNG and LNG dedicated vehicles qualify, as well as vehicles of all sizes and weight classes. OEM and conversions also qualify.  More details are available here.