MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources is seeking proposals for a new electric school bus and transit bus pilot program that will be funded with money from the state’s share of a settlement with Volkswagen over the automaker was found to have cheated on motor vehicle emission standards.
The pilot program will be used to determine if the technology can be applied more broadly across Vermont.
Heavy-duty electric vehicle technology is still relatively new and little information exists as to how these types of buses will perform in the state, said Heidi Hales of the Agency’s Air Quality and Climate Division.
“Because we have extremely cold winters, miles of dirt roads, and some challenging terrain, we’ll use the pilot program to gather critical data and engage in problem-solving to determine how these technologies may be most effectively deployed in Vermont,” she said.
Funding for the program will come from a portion of the $18.7 million Vermont received from the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust fund. Among the allowable uses of the money include repowering or replacing certain heavy-duty diesel trucks, buses and locomotives.
The request is to select a proposal for the administration and implementation of the pilot program and to facilitate coordination between all parties involved.
Proposals are due Nov. 16.
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