Mayor Eric Adams just announced the city will be receiving $77 million in federal grants to go towards creating the first in-country electric truck charging depot and electrifying school buses.
The Clean School Bus Grant Program will quadruple the number of electric school buses by adding 180 additional vehicles. The additions are possible thanks to a $61.1 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA).
Moreover, Hunts Point Food Distribution Center will be the site of the first in-nation freight-focused electric truck and vehicle charging depot, thanks to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) $15 million grant.
“These grants will help us put more electric school buses on our streets, turn one of the world’s largest food distribution centers into one of the world’s greenest facilities, deliver cleaner air for our children, and help undo a long history of environmental racism in the South Bronx,” said Mayor Adams.
The 180 electric buses will further NYC’s mission to operate an entirely electric bus fleet by 2040. Last year, the The Clean School Bus Grant Program increased the fleet with 51 new electric school bus with an $18.3 million grant. That means this year’s fleet addition is more than three times last years.
“New York State is leading the way in providing healthier transportation for students in our communities,” said Doreen M. Harris, CEO and President, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. “Cleaner air and less pollution are a net positive for the community, and thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this is just the beginning. Beyond the community, the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from these bus replacement projects will help to address the outsized role of the transportation sector on climate change,” adds Lisa F. Garcia, regional administrator, EPA Region 2.