On January 18, 2018, the Massachusetts Baker-Polito Administration announced a grant program that will utilize $12.5 million in VW funds and $500,000 from other clean air funds to reduce emissions from vehicles and non-road equipment and promote transportation electrification.
The grants are part of a multi-phase approach to spend the state’s $75 million from the VW Settlement Funds. Funds will be divided into two programs: a $7.5 million Open Solicitation Grant Program and a $5.5 million Massachusetts Electric Vehicle Incentive Program (MassEVIP). In addition to these funds, $11 million will be used to replace diesel buses with electric transit buses for the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority and the Martha’s Vineyard Transit Authority.
Under the Open Solicitation Grant Program, applicants may apply for up to $500,000 in funding to replace either an older medium-duty or heavy-duty diesel vehicle or a piece of non-road equipment with an equivalent new diesel, alternate fuel or electric version, or replace the engine of a diesel vehicle or non-road piece of equipment. Applications for the grant program are due March 18, 2019.
Under the MassEVIP program applicants can apply for up to $50,000 per address to install light-duty electric vehicle supply equipment for public fleets, workplaces, residents, or the general public. Applications for the incentives will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis for public fleets, workplaces, and residents and are due by March 18, 2019 for public access charging.
