Now Open – HVIP Public School Bus Set-Aside & EnergIIZE Joint Application

The HVIP Public School Bus Set-Aside & Energy Infrastructure Incentive for Zero-Emission Commercial Vehicles Project (EnergIIZE) Joint Application is now open! The Joint Application will remain open until September 29, 2023, at 5:00pm Pacific Time. The application link is available at californiahvip.org/purchasers/#SchoolBus.

All eligible applicants in small and medium air districts are encouraged to apply.  Compared to Standard HVIP, the Public School Bus Set-Aside offers higher voucher amounts, prioritizes fleet owners in rural and underserved communities, and requires the scrappage of an old school bus.

How to Prepare for Application

Purchaser Workshop 
The California Electric School Bus Working Group (CAESBWG) hosted a Purchaser Workshop for eligible applicants interested in learning more about how to apply for funding. The Purchaser Workshop covered the available and upcoming funding opportunities for electric school buses and associated infrastructure, including the HVIP Public School Bus Set-Aside and EnergIIZE. Watch the Purchaser Workshop recording today!

Eligible applicants interested in applying should be prepared to provide the following at time of application: 

1. A Letter of Intent.  A template can be found here: Letter of Intent Template
2. A copy of the DMV registration for each old school bus included on the application
3. Preliminary information regarding existing and planned charging infrastructure

FY 22-23 Appendix G – Public School Bus Set-Aside
The FY 22-23 HVIP Implementation Manual – Appendix G has been published and can be located at https://californiahvip.org/purchasers/#SchoolBus. The policies and requirements in the HVIP Implementation Manual apply to the Public School Bus Set-Aside.  In instances where the policies and requirements differ, those outlined in Appendix G take precedence for the Public School Bus Set-Aside.

FY22-23 Purchaser Eligibility 
Eligible applicants include Public School Districts, Public Charter Schools, Joint Power Authorities, County Offices of Education, and the Division of State Special Schools located in small and medium air districts. All applicants must serve students within the K-12th grade levels.

Participation in the Public School Bus Set-Aside funding requires the scrappage of an old school bus for each new school bus that is awarded. The old school bus requirements are as follows: the chassis must be a 2010 model or older, applicant owned, CHP certified and have a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 14,000 pounds. The old school bus can be any internal combustion engine using any fuel type.

FY 22-23 Applicant Priority Groups  
Applicants will be prioritized according to the size of the air district they are located in and whether they are located in a Disadvantaged Community (DAC) or a Low-Income Community (LIC). All applicants will be placed into a Priority Group. The Priority Groups are as follows:

• Priority Group 1 – Applicants located in a small-sized air district and in a DAC or a LIC
• Priority Group 2 – Applicants located in a small-sized air district, not in a DAC or a LIC
• Priority Group 3 – Applicants located in a medium-sized air district and in a DAC or a LIC
• Priority Group 4 – Applicants located in a medium-sized air district, not in a DAC or a LIC

Prior to the close of the initial application window, funds will be prioritized first to applicants in Priority Group 1, based on timestamp of Application Part A. After the close of the initial application window, if funding is available after all Priority Group 1 applications are reviewed, funding for Priority Group 2-4 will be randomized among each respective Priority Group.

For more information, or to review the FY22-23 HVIP Implementation Manual – Appendix G, please visit https://californiahvip.org/purchasers/#SchoolBus.

Please reach out to [email protected] with questions or to subscribe to Public School Bus Set-Aside updates. We’re here to help.