EPA Announces Over $1 Million to Hawaii for Zero-Emission Heavy-Duty Vehicles as Part of Nationwide Inflation Reduction Act Investment
County of Hawai'i aims to reduce air pollution, expand career opportunities for Hawaiians with programs for zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles, infrastructure, and workforce development.
SAN FRANCISCO (Dec. 11, 2024) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the County of Hawai'i, Office of Sustainability, Climate, Equity, and Resilience, has been tentatively selected to receive $1,000,092 to help purchase three zero-emission vehicles through EPA’s first-ever Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program. With this funding, the County of Hawaii will replace three diesel vocational vehicles with zero-emission electric models, install three charging stations for the new vehicles at County automotive base yards, and purchase workforce development training programs. In addition, the County intends to develop a workforce development strategy for County fleet transformation.
"Pollution from heavy-duty vehicles contributes to dangerous air quality across the country, including here in Hawai'i," said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “By replacing dirty heavy-duty vehicles with clean, zero-emission models, this funding will reduce air pollution, improve health outcomes in nearby communities, and advance the campaign to tackle climate change.”
Nationwide, EPA announced that 70 applicants across 27 states, three Tribal Nations, and one territory have been tentatively selected to receive over $735 million to assist in the purchase of over 2,400 zero-emission vehicles.
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, as well as some hydrogen fuel cell transit buses. In addition, the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program also funds zero-emission vehicle fueling infrastructure (e.g., electric vehicle charging stations), as well as workforce development and training. These investments support the implementation of the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization and the National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy.
EPA’s Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant program, created by the Inflation Reduction Act, will replace existing internal combustion engine heavy-duty vehicles nationwide 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. Together, the selected projects across the U.S. announced today 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 disproportionately harmed by air pollution.
Across the nation, over 3 million Class 6 and Class 7 vehicles are currently in use, spanning many vehicle types and vocations. Many of these are older vehicles that emit higher levels of harmful pollutants like nitrogen oxides, fine particulate matter, and greenhouse gases than newer vehicles. This pollution is associated with respiratory and cardiovascular disease, among other serious health problems. Children, older adults, those with preexisting cardiopulmonary disease, and those of lower socioeconomic status are particularly vulnerable to these health impacts. Decreasing pollution from heavy-duty vehicles helps protect the health of 72 million people living near truck freight routes in America.
EPA’s Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program will accelerate the adoption and deployment of eligible Class 6 and 7 zero-emission vehicles. Vehicles eligible for replacement include older vehicles powered by internal combustion engines that pre-date recent EPA emission standards.
In addition to the funding for the replacement of existing internal combustion engine Class 6 and 7 heavy-duty vehicles with eligible Class 6 and 7 zero-emission vehicles, funding may also be used to support zero-emission vehicle adoption and deployment by providing:
- Zero-emission vehicle refueling infrastructure.
- Workforce development and training.
- Project implementation costs.
EPA will work with selected applicants over the coming weeks to finalize awards. EPA currently anticipates finalizing awards in early 2025 once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied. Project implementation will occur over the next two to three years depending on the scope of each project.
Please visit the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program webpage for additional information and updates as EPA works with tentatively selected applicants to finalize awards and implement their projects.
Questions may also be directed to cleanhdvehicles@epa.gov.
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