ALBANY, N.Y. – Fleets and transit agencies can now take advantage of a recently relaunched program aimed at making advanced technology trucks and buses more affordable in New York State.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced yesterday, the state is relaunching the New York Truck Voucher Incentive Program (NYT VIP) making $20 million available for its diesel truck replacement program which provides point of sale rebates for businesses and municipalities that want to purchase new clean electric vehicles or repower commercial trucks and buses. CALSTART will lead stakeholder outreach to fleets and manufacturers for the program and assist with program design.

NYTVIP discounts put cleaner medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses nearer to cost parity with traditional diesel vehicles, making a clear business case for their adoption and putting clean vehicles on the road faster.

“Electric, hybrid, natural gas and propane vehicles already offer considerable advantages to fleets due to their operational costs combined with low or zero-emissions and reduced noise. The rebates mean these vehicles have comparable sticker prices to traditional diesels, making them very attractive to all types of users,” said Bill Van Amburg, Executive Vice President of CALSTART, head of the organization’s work in truck technologies.

Helping users adopt clean technologies quickly is central to CALSTART’s industry work. The organization separately administers California’s Hybrid and Zero Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP), as well as that state’s new Clean Off-Road Equipment (CORE) Voucher Incentive Project and Clean Mobility Options for Disadvantaged Communities program. Under NYTVIP, CALSTART will work closely with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), which administers the program, to spread the word to fleets and transit agencies about how they can build cleaner advanced technology fleets quickly, efficiently and at a lower cost than they might expect. NYTVIP is critical to achieving Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s Green New Deal, the most aggressive climate and clean energy program in the nation, and New York’s nation leading target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 85 percent by 2050.

Alicia Barton, President and CEO, NYSERDA, said, “Under this program, New York has already made tremendous strides to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fleet vehicles under Governor Cuomo’s forward-thinking and ambitious clean energy commitments. As the State continues to lead the national-discussion on climate change, the continued electrification of our transportation sector remains a critical building block for safeguarding communities against the impacts of climate change and we look forward to working with CALSTART on stakeholder engagement.”

CALSTART’s role will be to make fleets and manufacturers aware of the program and help them use it. To access NYTVIP funds, fleet owners, operators, and lessees work with an approved truck or bus dealer to select NYTVIP-eligible vehicles. Vehicle purchasers receive the discount at the point of sale and must retire a corresponding diesel vehicle with an engine from 2009 or earlier.

“They key for us was the simplicity of the process. Our bus operator received a discount when they made the purchase and didn’t have to worry about collecting a reimbursement. This made it possible to get these clean and quiet buses on the road quickly,” said Dr. Joseph Ricca, Superintendent of White Plains School District (WPSD). School bus operator National Express purchased five all-electric Lion Type C school buses in 2018 with assistance from NYTVIP for operation on behalf of WPSD.

A previous iteration of the program funded 594 vehicles across 60 fleets, including purchases of six all-electric Proterra buses by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, 234 hybrid vans for Verizon and 47 CNG delivery trucks for Manhattan Beer Distributors.

“New York State is a global leader setting a new standard for climate action. Through NYTVIP, New York is demonstrating its commitment to transforming the medium- and heavy-duty vehicle sector by driving clean vehicle adoption and supporting innovative technology manufacturers in their effort to develop this critical market,” said John Boesel, President and CEO of CALSTART.

Vehicle manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers, and retrofit manufacturers are encouraged to submit their technology for voucher eligibility through the NYSERDA website at www.NYSERDA.NY.gov/Truck-Voucher-Program.

CALSTART | Changing transportation for good

A national nonprofit consortium with offices in New York, Michigan, Colorado and California and partners world-wide, CALSTART works with 220+ member company and agency innovators to build a prosperous, efficient and clean high-tech transportation industry. We knock out barriers to modernization and the adoption of clean vehicles. CALSTART is changing transportation for good.

MEDIA CONTACT: ROXANNA SMITH, [email protected], (626)744-5609 or (510) 326-0390