Funding: Total: $20,000,000. Maximum awards: $6M, depending on technology.
Dates: Pre-Application Workshop: August 4, 2020. Questions Deadline: August 18, 2020. Application Submission Deadline: October 02, 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 $20 million dollars in grant funds for projects that will support the deployment of fueling infrastructure for medium-and heavy-duty (MD/HD) zero-emission transit bus fleets. The purpose of this solicitation is to fund the electric vehicle (EV) charging or hydrogen refueling infrastructure needed to support the large-scale conversion of transit bus fleets to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) at multiple transit agencies serving diverse geographic regions and populations.
Project Topic Areas:
CEC funding under this solicitation must be utilized for new or upgrades to existing charging or refueling infrastructure to support battery electric or hydrogen fuel cell transit buses. EV charging infrastructure projects must include deployment of chargers for eligible vehicles and may include funding for panels, conduit, and wiring at the facility level, as well as upgrades to distribution infrastructure including meters and transformers, to support current and future deployment of electric transit vehicles. Projects may also include deployment of renewable distributed energy resources (DER) for supplying power to EV chargers provided the DER is permanently installed on site. Transportable DER or DER not used to power EV chargers or the onsite production of hydrogen are not eligible. Hydrogen Refueling infrastructure is limited to private-access stations only.
Costs incurred for the following are eligible for CEC reimbursement or as the Applicant’s match share.
EV Charging Infrastructure
Electric vehicle supply equipment; Transformers; Electric panels; Energy storage equipment; Photovoltaic solar panels separately metered for electric charging; Installation; Utility service upgrades; Planning and engineering design; Network agreement with network provider; Extended warranties; Stub-outs; Demand management equipment; Overhead catenary system; and Project management.
Hydrogen Refueling Infrastructure
Compressors; Dispenser with hose and nozzles; High pressure hydrogen storage tubes; Onsite hydrogen production; Shipping; Installation; Commissioning; and Project management.
The CEC will not reimburse for permitting, vehicle purchases and vehicle-related expenses, such as electric charging or fuel costs. These expenses may be counted towards match share only. Utility incentives for behind-the-meter infrastructure and rebates for charging equipment may also be counted towards match share.
Cost Sharing:
A total of $20 million is available for awards under this solicitation. Applicants will be divided into four categories based on the type of fleet conversion and the number of zero-emission buses that will be supported at the fleet’s facility.
| Type of Fleet Conversion | Population | Total Buses Operated in Annual Maximum Service | Number of Zero-Emission Buses Supported by Infrastructure |
| Small fleet/Rural | Area with a population below 200,000 | Under 100 | At least 30 |
| Small fleet/Urban | Area with a population of at least 200,000 | Under 100 | At least 50 |
| Large fleet/Urban | Area with a population of at least 200,000 | 100-250 | At least 65 |
| Small fleets/Shared | N/A | More than 100 | At least 65 |
The highest scoring, passing application from each Type of Fleet Conversion category will be recommended for funding. The remaining funds will then be allocated to the next overall highest scoring application(s), regardless of fleet conversion type, in ranked order until all funds available under this solicitation are exhausted.
| Type of Fleet Conversion | Maximum Award Amount |
| Small fleet/Rural | Up to $6.0 million |
| Small fleet/Urban | Up to $6.0 million |
| Large fleet/Urban | Up to $6.0 million |
| Small fleets/Shared | Up to $6.0 million |
Projects are eligible for up to 75% of total project costs or the Maximum Award Amount, whichever is less. Applications must include a minimum 25% total match share of the total allowable project costs.
Project Requirements:
All infrastructure must be utilized by eligible transit vehicles, defined as Class 3-8 on-road vehicles having gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR) of 10,001 lbs. or greater that utilize fixed-route and demand-response transportation systems. Fixed-route systems have predetermined routes with predetermined schedules. Demand-response systems have flexible routes with flexible schedules dependent on passenger requests. All proposed projects must be located in California and operate and fuel the number of zero-emission buses required by Type of Fleet Conversion no later than March 31, 2025. Each project must provide a minimum of 12 months of data collection on deployed infrastructure for all required vehicles no later than March 31, 2026.
Applicants must demonstrate that the proposed projects will reduce on-road motor vehicle air emissions how proposed projects will support air quality improvements in and provide benefits to disadvantaged and low-income communities, priority populations, and/or tribal lands. Applicants must commit to sharing best practices and key lessons learned with transit fleets throughout the State at various stages throughout the term of the project. 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.
EV charging projects only: Electric charging infrastructure eligible for funding shall: Facilitate vehicle-charger interoperability; Leverage open standards-based network communications; and Be capable of managing charging costs and supporting grid reliability. Optionally, be capable of bidirectional power flow.
Hydrogen refueling projects only: Hydrogen fueling infrastructure that will support the fleet’s transit fuel cell buses shall commit to: Hydrogen Safety Plan; Hydrogen Safety Design Review; and Reporting Safety Incidents.
Eligible Applicants:
This solicitation is open to all public and private entities. Proposed project teams must include a public transit agency. For purposes of this solicitation, public transit agencies are defined as: A public entity responsible for administering and managing transit services. Public transit agencies can directly operate transit service or contract out for all or part of the total transit service provided.