Light-Duty Zero-Emission Infrastructure, Electric

Light Duty Zero-Emission Infrastructure, Electric

The Light Duty Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program, a statewide program funding electric vehicle infrastructure, is now closed. No additional funding will be available for this project type.  $5 million in Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust funding was available to purchase and install new charging stations for battery electric vehicles while:

· Directing a minimum of 50% of funds to disadvantaged and low-income communities; and

· Expanding EV charging access state-wide and closing gaps in coverage.

The Rank List and Notice of Proposed Awards is now available.

Rank List 

Notice of Proposed Awards

Advisory: Stacking of Funds from Investor-Owned Utilities

Advisory: Directional Signage Requirement

Eligible Applicants

  1. Eligible applicants are companies or organizations (public or private) with a proven track record of overseeing the procurement, permitting, installation, and maintenance of at least 20 DC Fast Chargers and/or 100 level 2 chargers at three or more different property locations and for three or more different customers in California since January 1, 2018. Examples of eligible applicants include vendors, installers, and aggregators.  Once awarded, these applicants are referred to as “Contractors” for the purposes of this solicitation.
    Contractors will be required, at a minimum, to identify the Project Beneficiaries, to enter into contract with them and the VW administrator, and to fulfill all the Program Requirements as outlined in this document, including overseeing implementation, maintaining and operating equipment, and reporting.
  2. Applicants must be in compliance with all applicable Federal, State, and local regulations at the time of application and remain in good standing with applicable regulations throughout the contract term.
  3. Applicants who have received funding from local air districts, the California Energy Commission or from the California Air Resources Board, must be in good standing with those agreements.
  4. Applicants must have the financial ability to pay upfront for all costs necessary to complete their projects. Trust funds are paid only on a reimbursement basis after project completion (see “Reimbursement Process”).
  5. Religious institutions are not eligible to apply and Trust funds may not be used to install equipment on property belonging to religious institutions.
  6. Electrify America and any Defendants of the Consent Decree (Volkswagen AG and its subsidiaries) are not eligible to apply.

Information for Project Beneficiaries

Project Beneficiaries include any businesses, non-profits, or public agencies who either own the property where the proposed chargers will be installed, or who provide evidence (e.g., long-term lease agreement, letter of support) from the property owner who will allow the selected Contractor to install and operate chargers for the duration of the Operational Period. Project Beneficiaries cannot apply directly to this Program but rather must work with an eligible applicant.  Project Beneficiaries under contract with selected Contractors will receive no-cost or discounted Trust-funded charging stations in return for agreeing to fulfill Program Requirements for the duration of the contract term. Anyone who is interested in applying to be a Project Beneficiary may sign up on the Program website.  Information on Project Beneficiaries will be posted to the Program website to be shared with potential applicants.

Requirements for Project Beneficiaries include the following:

List of Potential Project Beneficiaries

(Last updated 8/17/2021)

Required Supporting Documentation

Application Checklist
1 Applicant Name and Contact information
2 Project Narrative (see section V.B.)
3 Project Lists (see  section IV.A.) – DOWNLOAD TEMPLATE HERE (Updated 6/30/2021 – this update fixes a typo on column AD)

  • Priority List
  • Back-up List
  • Contingency List or Brief proposal (1000 words max)
4 Letters of Commitment from all Project Beneficiaries – DOWNLOAD SAMPLE LETTER HERE
5 Template agreement between Contractors and Project Beneficiaries
6 Full project budget, including information on matching-funds
7 Quotes for EV chargers (indicate which charging site the chargers are associated with)
8 Applicant W-9

Pre-Application Webinars

To learn more, attend one of the upcoming webinars on the solicitation in which program information will be shared:

Webinar 1

Date: Wednesday, May 26th, 2021

Time: 2:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time

Registration Closed

Webinar 2

Date: Wednesday, June 23rd, 2021

Time: 2:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time

Registration Closed

Application Webinar

Date: Thursday, July 29th, 2021

Time: 11:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time

Registration Closed

Timeline

Draft Guidance Release and Feedback period: December 23, 2020 – January 28th, 2021

Solicitation Opens:  May 11th, 2021

Solicitation Closed:  August 18th, 2021 12:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time

Resources

  1. Video Tutorial for Using Grants Management Portal
  2. Light Duty Infrastructure Q&A (last updated 7/6/21)
  3. VW Light Duty Infrastructure Program Webinars:
    1. 5/26/21 Webinar Video and Presentation Slides
    2. 6/23/21 Webinar Video and Presentation Slides
    3. 7/29/21 Webinar Video and Presentation Slides

Click here to sign up for our mailing list to receive email notifications about this program.

Have questions? Please contact us via e-mail at: [email protected] or by phone at: 1-844-9VW-FUND.

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