Montgomery County has received $1.5 million from the Maryland Energy Administration to aid in the transition to zero-emission electric vehicles, according to a Friday press release.
The county’s Department of General Services applied for the grant, which will be used to replace some outdated Montgomery County Department of Transportation vehicles with nine electric vehicles and one electric loader.
“These funds will help us replace old, inefficient equipment with environmentally sensitive alternatives, thereby reducing our carbon footprint and lowering operating costs,” Department of General Services Director David Dise said in the press release.
According to the press release, $1.4 million will be spent on four single-unit short-haul trucks, one single-unit long-haul truck and four transit buses. This will include the county’s first electric powered dump truck. The rest of the funding will be used to purchase an electric loader to “support eight underserved communities in the Gaithersburg area with snow removal, mowing and road repair services.”
“This funding will allow us to enhance our transportation infrastructure, reduce fuel expenses and contribute to the County’s ambitious climate action goals,” Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) said in the press release.
Officials estimate that 750,000 gallons of diesel fuel will be saved over the vehicles’ lifetimes, and use of the electric vehicles will decrease greenhouse gas emissions by almost 400 tons.
Over the past couple of years, the county has been making strides to develop an electric vehicle fleet. In June, the county broke ground in Derwood on what will be the largest renewable energy-powered, zero-emission bus depot in the nation, marking a major step forward toward the county’s goal of a 100% reduction in carbon emissions by 2035.
The new grid will be part of the county’s bus transition plan to convert all Ride On buses to zero emissions by 2035. When completed, the project will be the first bus depot on the East Coast to produce green hydrogen. It’s estimated to start operating in 13 months, according to officials.
The county also received grant funding from Maryland Energy Administration last month to create a program to help local food truck businesses transition to electric vehicles.
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has begun integrating electric school busses into its fleet, but received criticism from the county Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for wasting millions by not properly enforcing its electric vehicle contracts. The school district announced in February 2021 that it was replacing 326 diesel school buses with electric school buses, and 222 of those have been delivered so far.
