New Jersey receives $70 million for municipalities to add electric vehicles to bus, truck fleets
On March 30, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) announced $70 million in awarded funds to improve statewide electric transportation, according to a press release.
The announcement aligns with Gov. Phil Murphy’s (D-N.J.) six guidelines to promote cleaner energy for New Jersey. The funds will be distributed through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which aims to offset the costs of electric vehicles.
Locally, East Brunswick public schools will add 11 electric school buses to its fleet, and Irvin Raphael, Inc., a bus provider based in Middlesex County, will add two electric buses. Additionally, Highland Park will obtain one heavy-duty electric truck through the RGGI funds, and Princeton University will add electric shuttle buses to its fleet.
These funds are meant to be a step toward limiting the detrimental effects of climate change, which negatively impacts residents across New Jersey.
"New Jersey is especially vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change, many of which are already familiar to residents due to increasingly mild winters, hotter summers, more extreme precipitation, increasing inland flooding across the state’s watersheds and sea-level rise resulting in more 'sunny day' tidal flooding along the Atlantic coast," the release said.
