The Volkswagen Light Duty Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program, a competitive statewide program funding electric vehicle infrastructure, will provide $5 million in Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust funding for the purchase and installation of new charging stations for battery electric vehicles. The program goals are to:
Direct at least 50% of funds to disadvantaged and low-income communities.
Expand EV charging access state-wide and closing geographic gaps in coverage.
In advance of the solicitation, the VW administrator created a draft guidance document and sought comments from interested parties. Many comments came in through the two pre-solicitation webinars, e-mails, and the online portal. Currently, the administrator is evaluating and integrating comments and suggestions from this pre-solicitation period, and the program will open in early 2021.
There will be an official announcement through e-mail once the solicitation opens. Please sign up for the VW LDI e-mail list and visit the website to stay up-to-date and be notified when the program opens.
Background
The VW Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program is part of the VW Environmental Mitigation Trust, a nationwide program that provides $423 million for California to fully mitigate the excess nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions caused by VW’s use of illegal emissions testing defeat devices in VW diesel vehicles. California’s funding will support advanced technology vehicle and equipment deployments and accelerate the zero-emission transformation of the heavy-duty fleet.
For more information on the VW Environmental Mitigation Trust and details on eligibility requirements for the VW Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program, visit www.californiavwtrust.org.
Contact
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is serving as the statewide administrator of the funding for the VW Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program under contract to the California Air Resources Board. Details are available at www.californiavwtrust.org.