During a virtual event held on April 13, 2021, the California Energy Commission (CEC), the state’s primary energy planning and policy agency, announced the approval of a $50 million multi-year project to add sites for recharging or refueling zero-emission buses and big trucks.[1] The Energy Infrastructure Incentives for Zero-Emission Commercial Vehicles (EnergIIZE) project will use a “concierge-like model” to work directly with private companies and local transit agencies to help plan and fund charging and hydrogen fueling infrastructure additions. CALSTART, a nonprofit consortium focused on the clean transportation industry, will administer the first-of-its-kind project. CALSTART will receive an initial $17 million to design and launch the project, with additional funds subject to annual approval from the state budget and the CEC. Tetra Tech Inc., CALSTART’s long-term incentive program administrator, and GRID Alternatives, a non-profit that manages clean energy programs in low-income communities, will be a part of the project team.

The EnergIIZE project is funded by the CEC’s Clean Transportation Program, which invests more than $100 million annually to support research, development, and deployment of advanced transportation and fuel technologies. According to the CEC, the EnergIIZE project will benefit at-risk communities by meeting the infrastructure needs of companies and public agencies committed to adding clean battery-electric and hydrogen equipment. The project will also help advance Governor Gavin Newsom’s goal of 100% zero emissions from medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles by 2045.

[1] https://www.energy.ca.gov/news/2021-04/energy-commission-announces-nations-first-incentive-project-zero-emission-truck