Funding: Total funding is $3,000,000.
Dates: Pre-Application Workshop: July 28, 2020. Deadline for Written Questions: August 07, 2020. Application Submission Deadline: September 17, 2020.
Summary:
This is a competitive grant solicitation. The California Energy Commission’s (CEC’s) Clean Transportation Program (formerly known as the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program) announces the availability of up to $3 million in grant funds to support new and existing efforts for awardees planning “blueprints” that will identify actions and milestones needed for implementation of medium- and heavy-duty (MD/HD) zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) fleets and the related electric charging and/or hydrogen refueling infrastructure. Eligible vehicle types include Class 3-8 plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) and fuel cell electric vehicles. Funds provided will challenge project teams to accelerate the deployment of MD/HD ZEVs and ZEV infrastructure with a holistic and futuristic view of regional transportation planning. Blueprints may include a regional focus on connecting corridors.
Project Topic Areas:
The ZEV blueprint for MD/HD infrastructure should include, but is not limited to, the following:
- Identify the actions and milestones needed for implementation of MD/HD ZEVs and ZEV charging or refueling infrastructure, via: quantitative goals and specific, realistic timelines for installation and implementation; and potential sites, maps, and accessibility to travel routes identified for proposed MD/HD charging and/or refueling.
- Minimize the risks and uncertainties surrounding the design, permitting, planning, and financing of the ZEV infrastructure network through engagement of: utilities; local jurisdictions and planning organizations; regional workplaces, business owners, and operators; regional community-based organizations (CBOs), community leaders, California Native American Tribes, and potentially affected local residents in the planning process and education; and financial institutions to ensure they are educated, involved, and committed to participate in the implementation of the MD/HD ZEV infrastructure blueprint.
- Analyze the combination of innovative technologies and systems that offer the best mix of economic, environmental, and technical performance specific to the project/region. Technology options may include wireless charging, high-powered charging, overhead catenary systems, solar chargers, robotic chargers, mobile chargers/refuelers, curbside, streetlamp, and intersection chargers, or autonomous garages. Options include the ability to support interoperable emerging connectors and/or interfaces for MD/HD, open standards-based network communications, the inclusion of appropriate Vehicle-Grid Integration (VGI) standards, and/or other methods for enhancing grid-reliability by providing data to utilities to predict charging behavior and associated impacts on the grid.
- Document actions or steps already adopted by the local jurisdiction and the impact of those actions or steps on the development of MD/HD ZEV infrastructure.
- Identify steps already taken or that will need to be taken in order to ensure a safety plan is in place for needed hydrogen refueling infrastructure. This may include, but is not limited to, coordination with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s or the Center for Hydrogen Safety’s Hydrogen Safety Panel.
- Identify analytical tools, software applications, and data needed to improve future MD/HD ZEV infrastructure planning activities.
- Identify each task or area of responsibility required of the project partners and stakeholder groups to develop a replicable approach for other fleets transitioning to zero-emission.
- Develop an outreach strategy tailored to local community, supported by education and outreach materials appropriate for potentially affected residents, in the languages needed for the community, to educate on the planning efforts and potential future impacts.
- Work with community colleges, CBOs and community leaders to develop workforce development strategies that will enable training, education, and readiness for the local community workforce to obtain the requisite knowledge, skills, and ability to develop, support, and maintain the MD/HD ZEV fleets.
- Summarize the types of jobs that will be created for the local community.
- Identify goals to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, criteria air pollutants, and toxic air contaminants for the region, and the emitters at the local level that would need to be targeted.
- Identify the benefits that would accrue to disadvantaged communities (DACs), low-income communities, priority populations, and/or tribal lands to the maximum extent possible. Address health and safety, access and education, financial benefits, economic development, and consumer protection.
Funding:
A total of $3 million is available for awards under this solicitation. The CEC, at its sole discretion, reserves the right to increase or decrease the amount of funds available under this solicitation.
A minimum of $1 million of total funds available under this solicitation will be set-aside for public entities, including but not limited to public transit agencies, public transit operators, CA ports, and railyards. Public entities must be the primary Applicant to be eligible for the set-aside award funding. The set-aside public funds will be awarded first until all set-aside funding has been exhausted. The remaining funds will then be allocated to the next overall highest scoring application(s), regardless of public or private entity status, in ranked order until all funds available under the solicitation are exhausted. The CEC, at its own discretion, reserves the right to increase or decrease the public entity set-aside.
Costs incurred must be for the development of a MD/HD ZEV infrastructure blueprint planning document. Projects that exceed what is required for compliance with a legally enforceable requirement may receive funding for the portion of the project that exceeds the requirement. There are no match requirements for blueprint projects awarded under this solicitation. Projects are eligible for up to 100% of the total project costs or $200,000, whichever is less. There is no cash match requirement.
Project Requirements:
Note that this is a first-come, first-served solicitation open to all public and private entities that have plans to install EV charging infrastructure or hydrogen refueling equipment to support MD/HD ZEV fleets. Applicants may submit multiple applications under this solicitation. Each proposed project must be separate and distinct and adhere to all requirements contained in this solicitation. The CEC’s intent is not to fund multiple planning blueprints for MD/HD ZEV infrastructure covering the same project or general vicinity. Applicants are encouraged to work together in similar locations to coordinate efforts to ensure projects do not overlap. Following completion of a blueprint, applicants may be eligible for additional MD/HD ZEV infrastructure funding.
All blueprint projects should include the following requirements: projects must be located in California and include only geographic regions within California, and should at a minimum build upon, but not be duplicative of previous planning efforts funded through the CEC; be comprehensive and implementable to assist fleets in the complete transition to MD/HD zero-emission vehicles and infrastructure; and identify electric charging and/or hydrogen refueling requirements needed for the planned transition to or acquisition of MD/HD vehicles.
Eligible Applicants:
This solicitation is open to all public and private entities. Eligible entities must have a role in the development, planning, permitting, or oversight of the planned MD/HD ZEVs and/or ZEV infrastructure. Applicants are encouraged to involve local city or county government authorities, nonprofit entities, community-based organizations, environmental organizations, local workforce development agencies, building developers, technology vendors, utilities, researchers, local community colleges, and financiers throughout the application process.