$5 Million Available for Converting or Replacing Diesel Vehicles
The Ohio EPA will soon release their RFP for the Alternative Fuel Vehicle program. This program sets aside $5 million to be awarded for converting or replacing diesel and gas powered large vehicles to those that run on alternative fuels. Grants would reimburse business owners of large diesel or gasoline vehicles weighing 26,000 pounds or more (class 7 and 8) for a portion of the cost of replacing or converting the vehicle to run on compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG) or propane autogas (LPG). This includes bi-fueled or dual-fueled trucks that can run on both an alternative fuel and on gasoline or diesel fuel. Both public and private fleets will be eligible for this grant. It will be first come, first served for qualifying projects. Fleets can receive up to $25,000 per vehicle or 50% of the incremental cost, whichever is less. Total awards per fleet will be limited to $400,000.
Clean Fuels Ohio (CFO) has worked with dozens of businesses and governments over several years, helping them secure millions of dollars in funding to help transition fleets to operate on alternative fuels and efficient vehicle technologies. Clean Fuels Ohio offers two options for grant writing services, upfront and success fee models, offering flexibility for fleets needing assistance in their grant writing and application process.
Barring any problems with the current version of the rules, fleets should look for an RFP by the State sometime before the end of this year. While relatively modest in scale, this Ohio AFV program has been heavily promoted and highly anticipated. CFO anticipates a large number of fleet organizations interested in applying.
Contact Clean Fuels Ohio staff for more information about the program and specifics on grant-writing services.
