Funding Fleet Electrification to Accelerate Decarbonization Goals

Electrifying your organization’s vehicle fleet can be an expensive and often overwhelming endeavor. It’s hard to know where to start and how to fund the transition. Luckily, multiple federal and state programs exist to fund and accelerate your transition.

Electrify with confidence

Action speaks louder than words. McKinstry stands committed to guiding you through tangible action to reach your decarbonization goals. We have a long history and expertise helping public organizations electrify, including King County Metro, Denver Public Schools and Winona State University.

New EV Funding is available in Washington for a limited time!

The Washington State Department of Commerce recently announced the Washington Electric Vehicle Charging Program, which will help fund EV infrastructure for public use in rural areas and low-income communities. This funding will allow public agencies, tribal entities and 501(c)(3) nonprofits in Washington to significantly reduce the cost associated with installing Level 2 and Level 3 (direct current fast) chargers. That means that municipalities, K-12 schools districts and public universities have a new funding option available to offset vehicle fleet electrification costs and accelerate decarbonization progress.

The new charging program covers up to 100% of all related project costs, including chargers, electrical equipment, design and construction.

• Level 2 chargers, used at home, workplaces and light-duty commercial depots will be funded at $7,500 per charger. Up to 20 Level 2 chargers can be installed per site.
• Level 3 or Direct Current Fast Chargers, used for charging heavy trucks and buses and fast charging of light-duty vehicles, will be funded at $85,000 per charger. This new infrastructure can be installed at sites available to the public at all times (outside of overnight hours 10pm-5am). Up to 6 can be installed per site.

In addition, federal funding through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) could reduce the out-of-pocket cost of fleet electrification by as much as 30%. Programs such as the Commercial Electric Vehicle Tax Credit (45W) and Alternative Fuel Vehicle Tax Credit (30C) are available.

Applications for the state grant are due on December 1, 2023.

Proof model: KC, DPS & Winona State

King County Metro needed support road mapping the best pathway to electrify their fleet. McKinstry partnered with the organization’s leaders to design and pilot multiple technology pathways. Now, after completion of an initial pilot, we are moving forward with an actionable roadmap to help deliver our client’s zero-carbon intention.

Read our full King County Metro case study.

New infrastructure is also covered in the grant program. We recently launched integrated solar canopy and EV charging infrastructure at both Winona State University and Denver Public Schools to accelerate their electrification efforts.

At Winona State University, we installed campus solar panels that annually produce enough electricity to power 170 average homes.Six rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) arrays along with four solar PV carports were also deployed. The 1.4 MW project will generate nearly 1.7 MWh of renewable energy each year, making it the largest solar energy system of its kind at any Minnesota State campus.

At DPS, 5 MW of rooftop solar PV will be installed on 17 sites at a 12-year simple payback that was fully designed and engineered by McKinstry’s in-house solar experts.

Read our full Winona State University case study.

Read our full Denver Public Schools case study. 

Each example serves as a good example of the power of incentives to accelerate electrification and decarbonization efforts in budget conscious efforts.

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