Advancing Alternative Fuel Use Through Outreach and Collaboration.
In This Issue
DERA Grant Workshop with Maricopa County
Drive Electric Arizona
Events and Funding Announcements
Member Spotlight: Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT)
DERA Grant Workshop
Larz Garcia, VSCCC board member and Grant Program Administrator at Maricopa County Air Quality Department
This February 14th, VSCCC was proud to be able to host a webinar in partnership with the Maricopa County Air Quality Department on the State Clean Diesel or DERA Grant Program. The goal of the DERA grant program is to reduce diesel emissions from older diesel vehicles and improve air quality in the state. To accomplish this, the grant provides funding for local fleets to replace, re-power, or retrofit older higher emitting diesel engines with newer diesels or for the purchase of new alternative fuel vehicles.
Thank you so much to our board member Larz Garcia for sharing his knowledge and expertise with everyone for this webinar. Larz is the grant program administrator at Maricopa County Air Quality Department and is in charge of administering the DERA grant program. He did a great job explaining the details of the DERA grant and walking our webinar participants through the application process.
Applications for the DERA grant are due March 15, 2024. Please see the Clean Diesel Program Webpage for more information and to view a slideshow from the webinar.
Drive Electric Arizona
This month marked the launch of DRIVE Electric Arizona (DEAZ). This new non-profit was created by our friends at Valley of the Sun Electric Vehicle Association as part of a National DRIVE Electric USA Initiative. The DRIVE Electric USA initiative’s goal is to develop state based “Drive Electric” programs across the US in order to advance the adoption of electric vehicles.
The new DEAZ project leaders and their partners will educate consumers, utilities, utility regulators, and government officials; engage auto dealers and fleet leaders; assist in corridor and community EV infrastructure planning; and develop DRIVE Electric chapters in the State of Arizona. The group is already off to a great start having put together several working groups and held multiple Ride and Drive Events this month alone.
VSCCC was so glad to be a part of the creation of this group. After working with the amazing people at Valley of the Sun Electric Vehicle Association, our coalition thought they would be a perfect match for the Drive Electric USA Initiative that our fellow Clean Cities Coalitions were running. We connected the two parties and are so happy that they jumped on the opportunity to bring this nationwide program here to Arizona. Our director Don Covert is now an executive committee member of DEAZ and we look forward to continuing to work with the group as they help promote the use of EV’s in our state.
Upcoming Events
SCN Electric Vehicle Workgroup
Gilbert Electric Fire Truck Tour
You're invited for a tour of the Town of Gilbert's new electric fire truck on Thursday, March 14th, from 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM. Join the SCN Electric Vehicle Workgroup to learn more about Gilbert's new state-of-the-art electric fire truck. Reserve your place now!
Registered attendees will meet at the Gilbert Public Safety Training Facility for the tour. Parking & arrival information will be shared via calendar invitation upon registration.
Event Details:
Gilbert Public Safety Training Facility
6860 S Power Rd,
Gilbert, AZ 85295
Thursday, March 14, 2024 | 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM MST
Please RSVP by Wednesday, March 6, 2024, to receive tour details.
For questions, contact Alison Almand, SCN Program Coordinator, at alison.almand@asu.edu.
CNG Lunch and Learn
Southwest Gas is hosting a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) “Lunch and Learn” event this February 27, 2024. Join CNG industry representatives and other fleet operators to learn more about CNG vehicles and their uses in fleets. This is a great opportunity to learn about the benefits of natural gas vehicles and network with local professionals! Lunch will be provided.
Please RSVP by email to Timothy.Tiger@swgas.com
Date: February 27, 2024
Time: 10:00 AM- 2:00 PM
Location: Southwest Gas Offices
5705 S. Kyrene Rd, Tempe AZ 85283
The Valley of the Sun Electric Vehicle Association, Drive Electric Arizona, City of Phoenix Electric Vehicle Program and the Valley of the Sun Clean Cities Coalition are excited to bring you the Valley's premier Drive Electric Earth Month Event!
Join us on Earth Day, Saturday, April 20, 2024 from 8am to 12pm, and have your chance to get sit in, ride in, or even drive an electric vehicle! Presented to you by vehicle owners, this is your opportunity to learn about everything an electric vehicle has to offer. In addition to the environmental benefits of driving electric, the experience of driving an EV is unlike any other: exhilarating and fun! This is a family-friendly event, and free to the public to participate.
There will be EV's on display, and a large variety available for ride and drives. In addition to vehicle displays and ride and drives, there will be informational displays from event organizers and sponsors, including Valley of the Sun EVA, SRP, American Lung Association and others. This is a great way to become informed about what you can do as a consumer and resident to improve the quality of life for your family and community.
Arizona Electric Fleet Day by TE Activator
April 3rd, 2024
10am-3pm
Mesa Convention Center
Join us for Arizona Electric Fleet Day 2024. We invite fleet operators and managers of all sizes and sectors to learn about local resources for fleet electrification and transition planning. Event programming includes:
Expert panels of fleet transition planning, electric fleet management, government and utility grants and incentives
EV solutions showcase featuring EV models and Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE)
Networking opportunities
Get the answers to your most anticipated questions! Refreshments and lunch will be provided.
Check out last year's fleet day here.
For questions or interest in becoming an exhibitor, please contact info@electrifyarizona.org
Funding Opportunities
Clean Bus Planning Awards
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has announced the $5 million Clean Bus Planning Awards (CBPA) program, funded by the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation (Joint Office).
Managed by NREL, the CBPA program provides free technical assistance to create comprehensive and customized bus electrification plans for school and transit fleets across the United States. Applications for assistance are open on a rolling basis, giving fleets an opportunity to fully understand their needs before applying for support. This new program will reduce the burden of electrification by helping fleet managers create a step-by-step plan to transition their bus fleet.
Eligible Applicants include:
State and local governmental entities providing bus service, including public school districts and charter schools.
Private school bus fleets with an active contractual agreement to serve a public school district.
Nonprofit school transportation associations.
Tribes, tribal organizations, or tribally controlled schools responsible for the purchase of school buses or providing school bus service for a Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)-funded school.
Direct or designated recipients of FTA grants, including state and local governmental authorities, and tribes.
Technology Integration Funding Opportunity
Today, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced $15 million in new funding for projects that will advance deployment of technologies critical to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector. The funding will drive innovation in equitable clean transportation and is aligned with strategies detailed in the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization.
The funding is administered through the Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) within DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). Topic areas in VTO’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Technology Integration funding opportunity include:
Clean Cities Outreach, Engagement, and Technical Assistance
Training on Zero Emission Vehicle and Infrastructure Technologies for Critical Emergency Response Workers
Clean Transportation Demonstration and Deployment.
Read VTO’s FY 2024 Technology Integration funding opportunity. Applicants must submit a concept paper by March 12, 2024, and full applications are due April 30, 2024.
Learn more about this and other funding opportunities on VTO’s funding webpage.
Member Spotlight
Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT)
The Arizona Department of Transportation is a multimodal transportation agency serving Arizona. ADOT is responsible for planning, building and operating a complex highway system in addition to building and maintaining bridges and the Grand Canyon airport. A major component of the organization is the Motor Vehicle Division.
ADOT is also working towards reducing emissions with programs such as its Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Plan and Alternative Fuel Corridors and NEVI program. The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program made $5 billion available for the deployment of publicly accessible EV chargers nationwide along roads that states select as alternative fuel corridors (AFC).
The goal is to deploy a convenient, affordable, reliable, and equitable network of EV fast chargers along the nation’s highways and, thus, to encourage adoption of electric vehicles. Over the five years of the NEVI program, the state is set to receive $76.5 million in federal dollars to establish publicly accessible EV charging stations along Arizona’s designated AFC, which are currently the Interstate highways. ADOT plans to add additional highways to the AFC network as it updates its annual EV plan.
VSCCC strives to provide alternative fuel information to all people within our region. In order to increase our outreach abilities we are working with local agencies to share our newsletter and clean fuel resources with an even greater audience. We are proud to partner with the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona's Air Quality Department, ASU's Sustainable Cities Network and Maricopa County Air Quality Department.
OUR NEWSLETTER IS ALSO AVAILABLE IN SPANISH
Translations done by Diego Montemayor- Diego@cleanairaz.org
