Natural Gas Vehicles

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities announced creation of a new program under which grants would be available for certain eligible trucks and buses using compressed natural gas (CNG) instead of a traditional fuel source.

The program is targeted at heavy-duty motor vehicles that qualify as a Class 5 through 8 vehicle. According to the board, the $200,000 grant program will fund a portion of the incremental cost of powering a vehicle with CNG rather than a comparable diesel fuel. The board said that awards will be capped at $20,000 per vehicle and $40,000 per applicant and will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis until funding is exhausted.

The board stated that in addition to the requisite Class 5 through 8 vehicle classification, eligibility also is limited to trucks and buses registered in the seven counties that previously have been classified as unhealthy for sensitive groups for 10 or more days in 2015 and 2016, as determined by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection in its air quality index.

The board noted that among the parties that are eligible to participate in the grant program are municipalities, political subdivisions, incorporated nonprofit entities, corporations, and limited liability companies or partnerships registered to do business in New Jersey. Applications for the grants may be submitted between November 20 and December 20, 2017.