$3 Million in Grants and Services Awarded to Teams to Advance Solutions that Reduce Air Pollution, Enhance Electrification, and Grow Mobility in Underserved Communities

January 10, 2022

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that 17 projects are eligible to compete through the $85 million New York Clean Transportation Prizes program. Funding for these projects was announced as part of the 2022 State of the State to advance replicable showcase projects for clean transportation. The Phase One projects selected have been awarded more than $3 million total in grants and services to advance solutions to reduce air pollution, enhance electrification, and grow mobility options in underserved communities across the State. This program, administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), supports New York State's nation-leading goal of an 85 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 as outlined in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.

"As New York continues to pursue its nation-leading clean energy and climate goals, we must ensure that we are not leaving behind our traditionally underserved communities," Governor Hochul said. "The transportation sector is one of New York's largest sources of pollution, and, too often, low-income New Yorkers and communities of color are forced to bear the brunt of the consequences. These grants will tap our state's most valuable resource, the ingenuity of New Yorkers, to ensure a just and equitable transition to a carbon-neutral future."

Of the seventeen projects awarded under Phase One, six projects were selected in both the Clean Neighborhoods Challenge and Electric Mobility Challenge, and five were selected in the Electric Truck & Bus Challenge. Each project proposal will receive an award package of up to $200,000, including a $100,000 planning grant for further proposal development, up to $50,000 in funding for community partners, and up to $50,000 in in-kind support from technical experts.

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, "New York's Clean Transportation Prizes program is an opportunity to invest in innovation that can transform transportation access in underserved areas and build healthier communities across New York State. The selected teams and community partners are bringing the best technologies and methods together with community input to scale solutions that can be replicated locally and worldwide to reduce emissions and fight the impact of climate change."

Project proposals awarded funding under Phase One are eligible to compete for the grand prizes under Phase Two. The Phase One projects include:

Clean Neighborhoods Challenge - Up to three $10 million grand prizes will be awarded through Phase Two to innovative projects that address air pollution reduction at scale in underserved communities.

Long Island:

  • Arena Transit Hubs for an Equitable, Inclusive, Low-carbon Future led by XL Fleet

Mid-Hudson:

  • Ulster Connect led by Via Mobility

Mid-Hudson, North Country, Southern Tier, Western New York:

  • Accelerating Clean Communities With E-Bike Systems (ACCESS) led by ICF Incorporated

New York City:

  • Clean Transit Access Program (CTAP) - Electrifying NYC Dollar Vans led by Dollaride
  • The Bronx is Breathing: Reimagining a Cleaner Hunts Point led by Volvo Technology of America

Western New York:

  • Centering People, Place and Policy for Buffalo's Clean Mobility Future led by Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Western New York Office

Electric Mobility Challenge - Up to three $7 million grand prizes will be awarded through Phase Two to projects that demonstrate electric mobility options that solve underserved community needs.

Long Island:

  • Promoting Sustainable Transportation: Electric Micro-Shuttle Services in Long Island led by Circuit Transit

Mid-Hudson:

  • Bee-Line On Demand: Delivering Innovative Electric Mobility to Peekskill led by Sustainable Westchester
  • Project MOVER: Moving onto Vast E-Micro-mobility Replication led by EIT InnoEnergy USA

New York City:

  • Red Hook Recharge Zone led by Revel Transit
  • The Equitable Commute Project led by Transportation Alternatives

Southern Tier:

  • Tompkins County Transportation Equity & Access Project led by Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit

Electric Truck & Bus Challenge - Up to three $8 million grand prizes will be awarded through Phase Two to projects that demonstrate electrified solutions or replacement of medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles.

Capital Region:

  • Relieving Congestion in Albany - Resilient and Repeatable School Bus Infrastructure led by NextEra Energy Resources

Mid-Hudson, New York City:

  • Freight Electrification-as-a-Service for Transformation (FEAST) led by CALSTART

New York City:

  • Accelerating New York Fuel Cell Bus & Hydrogen Infrastructure Deployments led by Krueger Transport
  • Electrify the Empire State: Empowering Zero Emission Solutions led by Gladstein Neandross & Associates
  • Electrifying School Buses in the Bronx (ESBB) led by New York City School Bus Umbrella Services

The selected project teams will finalize their proposals, and global experts will continue to work with New York State to support the selection of grand prize winners, which are expected to be announced in late summer 2022.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner and Climate Action Council Co-Chair Basil Seggos said, "Targeting emissions from the transportation sector, particularly in communities that have been disproportionately impacted by pollution from cars and trucks, will advance efforts to reach New York's ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals while protecting public health and ultimately saving lives. New York's Clean Transportation Prizes program prioritizes investments that will grow sustainable solutions and deliver them where they are most needed. I commend Governor Hochul for her sustained commitment to combating climate change and supporting community health with innovative solutions like NYSERDA's Clean Transportation Prizes program."

Chairman of the Public Service Commission Rory M. Christian said, "Funding the New York Clean Transportation Prizes was an important component of the Commission's investment in transportation electrification, ensuring that the disadvantaged communities, who bear the brunt of the climate crisis, directly benefit through the deployment of the best clean electric transportation solutions identified by communities and innovators."

Long Island Power Authority Chief Executive Officer Thomas Falcone said, "LIPA is pleased to fund New York's Clean Transportation Prizes on Long Island and in the Rockaways, including a grand prize award of up to $10 million. The success of these innovative ideas will both reduce carbon emissions and expand access to the clean, electric transportation of the future in our underserved communities."

State Senator Kevin Parker said, "The Clean Transportation Prizes Program will ensure we are creating a safe environment for our constituents living in disadvantaged neighborhoods. I thank Governor Hochul and NYSERDA for making disadvantaged communities a priority. This is a step in the right direction as we work towards ensuring environmental justice for everyone throughout the State."

State Senator Tim Kennedy said, "This program fully aligns with New York's commitment to creating more thoughtful, environmentally-just transportation standards statewide. By encouraging these forward-thinking concepts, we're ultimately investing in collaborative solutions driven by the communities who are eager to see this change. I applaud Governor Hochul and NYSERDA for prioritizing these projects, congratulate the awardees, and look forward to seeing what Phase Two brings.

Assemblymember Michael Cusick said, "The transportation sector is responsible for nearly a third of all emissions in New York State and in order to achieve our ambitious emissions reduction goals we must continue to commit to building a more environmentally friendly transportation sector. The New York Clean Transportation Prizes program is a great tool for reducing air pollution, enhancing electrification, and growing mobility all as part of a concerted state-wide effort to build the transportation sector of the future."

Assemblymember William Magnarelli said, "Governor Hochul continues to show support for efforts to reduce air pollution, enhance electrification, and grow environmentally friendlier transportation options. Encouraging companies to compete and promote innovative projects allows New Yorkers to take part in actively working towards the goals of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act."

The New York Clean Transportation Prizes are administered by NYSERDA in partnership with the New York State Department of Public Service and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and funded under New York State's $701 million EV Make Ready program. Also partnering in the program, the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) will fund up to one grand prize of up to $10 million on Long Island.

New York State's $1 billion investment in electrifying New York's transportation sector is vital to New York State's sweeping climate and clean energy plan. As part of its comprehensive strategy to accelerate clean transportation initiatives, it is growing access and availability to electric vehicles and clean transit while scaling the necessary infrastructure benefits all New Yorkers, including those in low-income or disadvantaged areas, by reducing carbon emissions to create cleaner air and healthier communities.

To learn more about the three competition areas and the Phase One awardees, visit the New York Clean Transportation Prizes website.

New York State's Nation-Leading Climate Plan

New York State's climate agenda is the most aggressive climate and clean energy initiative in the nation, calling for an orderly and just transition to clean energy that creates jobs and continues fostering a green economy as New York State recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Enshrined into law through the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, New York is on a path to achieve its mandated goal of a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and to reach economy wide carbon neutrality. It builds on New York's unprecedented investments to ramp-up clean energy including over $33 billion in 102 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the state, $6.8 billion to reduce buildings emissions, $1.8 billion to scale up solar, more than $1 billion for clean transportation initiatives, and over $1.6 billion in NY Green Bank commitments. Combined, these investments are supporting nearly 158,000 jobs in New York's clean energy sector in 2020, a 2,100 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011 and a commitment to develop 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035. Under the Climate Act, New York will build on this progress and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent from 1990 levels by 2050, while ensuring that at least 35 percent with a goal of 40 percent of the benefits of clean energy investments are directed to disadvantaged communities, and advance progress towards the state's 2025 energy efficiency target of reducing on-site energy consumption by 185 trillion BTUs of end-use energy savings.