Battery Electric Bus (BEB) Resources

Securing Funding

BEBs are substantially more expensive than other types of buses on the market but incentives are attractive right now and with the right infrastructure, electric bus fleets can generate substantial cost savings over diesel vehicles for transit agencies. To achieve all the benefits that electric buses offer it’s important to be aware of current state and federal grants, bus warranties, and available financing options. This is not a complete list but it is intended to help agencies begin to successfully navigate the funding available to electrify their transit operations and fleet.

Federal Transit Administration Low or No Emission Grant Program (Low-No)
This federal competitive grant program provides funding for electric transit buses and associated charging infrastructure. The Low-No program is the largest battery electric bus grant program to date and many Connecticut transit agencies have applied and been awarded funding under this program.

The Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA)
Requests for proposals for the National Clean Diesel Campaign and related information are posted on EPA's Clean Diesel Website. The program solicits applications nationwide for projects (including the electrification of transit buses) that achieve significant reductions in diesel emissions and exposure, particularly from fleets operating in areas designated by EPA as poor air quality areas. DERA can also cover up to 45% of the total electric bus replacement cost, including charging infrastructure.

Connecticut DEEP also receives funds from the U.S. EPA through the State DERA Program to help mitigate the reduction of diesel emissions within our state. Visit Connecticut’s DERA webpage for information on current grant opportunities.

Connecticut’s VW Mitigation Plan/Grant Funding
In 2018, over $50 million became available for various nitrogen oxide (NOx) mitigation projects, including bus electrification projects. While incentives under the VW Program are potentially more generous, many clean diesel projects that are eligible for the State DERA Program, are not eligible for VW funding. Visit Connecticut's VW Settlement webpage for more information on current grant opportunities.

 

Other Resources

USDOT Electric Bus Basics

The Guidebook for Deploying Zero-Emission Transit Buses (2020)
The Zero‐Emission Bus Deployment Guidebook is a tool for educating transit agencies on current best practices for electric and fuel cell bus deployments and represents lessons learned from previous deployments, industry experts, and available industry resources.

Financial Analysis of Battery Electric Transit Buses (2020)
In this report, the modeling analysis strives to help transit bus fleets determine if battery electric buses would be cost-effective when compared to traditional diesel buses over their lifetime.

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