In the U.S. State of Ohio, a legislative committee voted recently to approve rules regarding the Alternative Fuels Vehicle Conversion Grant (AFVC) program. This grant will help reduce up-front costs of vehicles powered by natural gas. The AFVC grant will reimburse business owners for a portion of the cost of replacing or converting a vehicle to run on compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG) or propane autogas (LPG).
Grants will be available for vehicles weighing 26,000 pounds or more (class 7 and 8) to both public and private fleets. The grant will be administered by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency on a first-come, first- served basis. Grants will be capped at $400,000 per applying entity and $25,000 per vehicle or 50% of incremental cost above diesel, whichever is less.
“If the rules now become effective in mid-December, as expected, the first date to submit grant applications will be in mid to late February, to allow applicants at least eight weeks to prepare their proposals,” said Carolyn Watkins, Chief of Environmental Education at the Ohio EPA.
The AFVC grant will reimburse business owners for a portion of the cost of replacing or converting a vehicle to run on compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG) or propane autogas (LPG). Grants will be available for vehicles weighing 26,000 pounds or more (class 7 and 8) to both public and private fleets. The grant will be administered by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency on a first-come, first- served basis. Grants will be capped at $400,000 per applying entity and $25,000 per vehicle or 50% of incremental cost above diesel, whichever is less.
Except for Ohio, nearly every state surrounding Ohio has had some kind of financial incentive for alternative fuels.
“This grant will go a long way towards helping alleviate some of the up-front costs associated with CNG and propane vehicles,” commented Andrew Conley, Program Director for Clean Fuels Ohio (CFO). “These vehicles are more expensive on the front end but fleets save because the fuel and maintenance costs are considerably less. While grants under this program will be quite modest, they will help all fleets realize a faster return.”
CFO will forward information about specific grant rules and the formal solicitation to members as soon as it becomes available.
Source: Clean Fuels Ohio
