New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) has been awarded a grant from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) for $1.4 million that will be used to expand the agency’s non-revenue fleet of electric vehicles (EV) and provide funding for the necessary charging infrastructure. NJ Transit has successfully secured 25 percent of the $5.7 million available in the NJBPU’s Clean Fleet EV Incentive Program, which is part of an overall $12.7 million in awarded grant funding for Fiscal Year 2023 from three of the NJBPU’s EV and charging infrastructure incentive programs.
The Clean Fleet EV Incentive Program is a program supporting local and state governments as they transition their fleets to EVs. Eligible entities include local schools, municipal commissions, state agencies or boards, state commissions, state universities, community colleges, county authorities, municipalities, municipal utility authorities and state agencies.
“NJ Transit is pleased to receive this important funding from the NJBPU,” said New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner and NJ Transit Board Chair Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti. “The financial support will allow us to expand our fleet of non-revenue electric vehicles, improve efficiency with our charging stations and continue to ease our carbon footprint through reduced emissions in the communities we serve.”
“We are grateful to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities for this $1.4 million grant, which is fully aligned with NJ Transit’s steadfast commitment to sustainability,” said NJ Transit President and CEO Kevin S. Corbett. “These funds will support our efforts to continue advancing the electrification of our non-revenue fleet, as well as New Jersey’s broader sustainability goals."
NJ Transit will use the funding to advance the electrification of its corporate fleet vehicles, including acquiring additional battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), Level 2 Fleet Chargers – which can charge a BEV to 80 percent from empty in four to10 hours – and Direct Current Fast Charging Equipment Units (DCFCs), which offer rapid charging. DCFCs can charge a BEV to 80 percent in just 20 minutes to one hour. NJ Transit is currently installing the agency’s first DCFC charger at its Newton Avenue facility in Camden, N.J.
“As we strive to combat the increasingly devastating impacts of climate change, it is essential that we support agencies that are reducing their carbon footprint,” said NJBPU President Christine Guhl-Sadovy. “I commend NJ Transit for their commitment to a cleaner New Jersey by electrifying their non-revenue fleet and investing in charging infrastructure, reducing emissions particularly in the communities they serve.”
