ZESBI Opening Soon!

May 1, 2024

The Zero Emission School Bus and Infrastructure (ZESBI) incentive project will open for applications on May 14, 2024, at 10:00am Pacific Time. The application link will be available at: www.californiahvip.org/zesbi.

A total of $500 million is appropriated by Senate Bill (SB) 114 for ZESBI incentives, pairing zero-emission (ZE) school bus vehicle funding through the California Air Resources Board (CARB), with charging infrastructure funding through the California Energy Commission (CEC). In Fiscal Year 2023-24, $375 million is allocated to support the replacement of old internal combustion school buses with ZE school buses and $125 million is allocated to support infrastructure and associated cost incentives.

​​​​​​Application Information Session – May 2, 2024, at 1:00pm Pacific Time​​​
CALSTART will host an Application Information Session for eligible applicants interested in learning more about how to apply for funding. The Application Information Session will cover eligibility requirements, how to apply and documentation required at time of application.

Register here

ZESBI Applicant Eligibility
Eligible applicants include California Public School Districts, California Public Charter Schools, California Joint Power Authorities, and California County Offices of Education. Charter schools classified as a non-classroom-based charter school as of FY 2021-22 are not eligible entities. All applicants must serve students within the K-12th grade levels and own their own school buses.

Participation in ZESBI requires the scrappage of an old school bus for each new zero-emission school bus that is awarded. The old school bus can be any internal combustion engine using any fuel type. Applicants are not required to select a like-for-like replacement school bus.

The old school bus requirements are as follows:

• The school bus chassis must be a 2010 model or older.
• The school bus must be applicant owned.
• The school bus must have a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) greater than 10,000 pounds.
• The school bus must have a current California Highway Patrol Safety Certification (CHP 292 or equivalent) at the time of Application Part A submission.
• If the school bus is diesel-fueled and greater than 14,000 pounds GVWR, it must be compliant with the California Truck and Bus Regulation in order to receive a full voucher amount.

How to Prepare for Application
Eligible applicants interested in applying should be prepared to provide the following at time of Application Part A:

1. A Letter of Intent signed by an authorized representative stating the applicant’s intent to purchase zero-emission school bus(es). A Letter of Intent template can be found at www.californiahvip.org/zesbi.
2. A current copy of the DMV registration for each old school bus included in Application Part A.
3. A current copy of the CHP Safety Certification (CHP 292 or equivalent) for each old school bus included in Application Part A. The old school bus(es) must have a current, unexpired, CHP 292 or equivalent at time of application submittal.

FY 23-24 Appendix G: ZESBI Incentives
FY 23-24 HVIP Implementation Manual, Appendix G: Zero Emission School Bus & Infrastructure Incentives has been published and can be located at www.californiahvip.org/zesbi.

The policies and requirements in the HVIP Implementation Manual apply to ZESBI. In instances where the policies and requirements differ, those outlined in Appendix G take precedence for ZESBI.

Cal Fleet Advisor
Cal Fleet Advisor is providing free technical assistance to California school districts and offering customized solutions for school bus electrification.

Explore electrification with an advisor today! For more information, please visit www.calfleetadvisor.org/esb.

Questions?
Please reach out to [email protected] with questions. We’re here to help.