The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it tentatively selected 70 applicants to receive over $735 million from the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program for the purchase and implementation of zero-emission heavy duty vehicles, including electric school buses.
EPA stated on Dec. 11 that the applicants span 27 states, three Tribal Nations, and one U.S. territory.
The School Bus Sub Program portion of the grant includes $490 million to fund new zero-emission electric school buses and associated infrastructure and looks to deliver approximately 70 percent of total funding to school bus replacement projects. The funds being awarded will go toward the purchase of over 1,600 electric school buses.
EPA also said it will be working with the selected applicants to finalize award details and “currently anticipates finalizing awards in early calendar year 2025 once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.” Depending on the scale of each individual project, implementation will occur over the next two to three years.
Some of the grant fund allocation for zero-emission buses and infrastructure include an anticipated $35 million to Boston Public Schools to replace 125 diesel and propane school buses with electric school buses as well as purchase chargers for the buses. Multiple school districts in California are slated to receive funds. Over $20.3 million is destined for Los Angeles Unified School District to replace 50 fossil fuel-powered school buses and $15.1 million to Oakland Unified School District to replace 60 of its buses with electric school buses.
A Connecticut Department of Transportation crew works on an Interstate 95 bridge on Nov. 05, 2023, in Westport, Connecticut. The Federal Reserve’s rate cut earlier this month could mean lower borrowing costs for state and local governments and bring changes for housing development, tax revenue and road, water and sewer construction. (By John Moore/Getty Images)
The Federal Reserve’s second consecutive key rate cut could mean more than just lower borrowing costs for the average consumer — state and local governments stand to benefit, too.
Lower interest rates may bring changes for housing development, tax revenue, debt refinancing and bread-and-butter projects like roads, water and sewer, state and local government officials told States Newsroom.
The Fed’s cut earlier this month followed an aggressive rate-hiking campaign to beat down inflation, and it came years after the last time the U.S. central bank lowered interest rates. Key borrowing rates now stand at 4.5 to 4.75%, and inflation has cooled to 2.7%. Economists expect another rate cut in December.
“On average, the lower the interest rates are expected to help stock market returns if historical trends hold,” said Liz Farmer, who focuses on budgets, fiscal distress, tax policy and pensions at The Pew Charitable Trusts. “So generally, you would expect a more positive effect on your average pension portfolio that has a good amount invested in equities.”
This change means states and localities will have lower borrowing costs, which will make it easier to make big long-term changes in infrastructure, to see higher sales tax collections as a result of more spending, and it is likely to result in better pension performance in an environment where stocks tend to respond to lower rates, fiscal policy experts at Pew say.
In 2021 and 2022, states had record high revenue growth due in part to federal pandemic aid and the impact of the federal aid on workers and businesses, according to Pew. But that kind of growth was unsustainable.
Recently, nearly all states have entered into a slower revenue growth environment, said Brian Sigritz, director of state fiscal studies at the National Association of State Budget Officers, a professional membership group for budget and finance officers. More than three dozen states had a fall in revenue in fiscal year 2023, Pew’s analysis found. At least five states experienced budget shortfalls in fiscal year 2024, the think tank explained.
“States overall are remaining in a strong fiscal position. It’s just that we’re starting to see slower growth compared to what we did see for those a couple of years after the start of the pandemic,” he said. “That was really a unique set of circumstances where we had the additional federal aid provided by all the different COVID relief bills and at the same time where state revenue growth was growing so strongly, and that led to very strong growth in tax collections.”
Sigritz said that states, which have to almost entirely use borrowing for infrastructure and capital projects, will benefit from lower borrowing costs as a result of the Fed rate cuts.
David Schmiedicke, finance director for the city of Madison, Wisconsin’s finance department, said he’s hopeful that the lower cost of borrowing will reduce the cost of public infrastructure when seeking construction bids.
“We’re seeing a lot of development, even with the higher rates. Madison is an attractive place to live. People from around the country are moving here,” he said.
Rebecca Fleury, the city manager for Battle Creek, Michigan, said interest rates affect key services the public relies on, including fire departments.
“[Interest rates] have an impact on our ability as a city of 52,000 to provide the full services that we do. Every little bit impacts us, because we have to buy fire trucks,” she said.“If there’s a decrease in one of our three largest revenue sources, we feel it.”
But there are both pluses and minuses to the cut in the federal funds rate, Schmiedicke said, as it brings down the interest income states receive.
“It probably will reduce the amount of investment income the city receives on its cash balances. We saw that go up dramatically in 2022 and 2023, so that’ll probably come down as the Fed cuts rates,” Schmiedicke said.
Different tax policies also change how states and localities experience the Fed rate cuts.
H.D. Palmer, deputy director for external affairs and principal spokesman on fiscal and financial issues for California Gov. Gavin Newsom, said that the lower interest rates are overall positive for the nation’s largest state because of the concentration of technology firms there, its progressive tax rate, and the taxing of capital gains and stock options as personal income.
“When the markets are doing well, those types of firms that are concentrated in California do well and in consequence, our revenues do well,” Palmer said.
The Alabama Department of Finance told States Newsroom that it is closely following the Fed’s actions as it “closely follows all actions that could impact our citizens and the State’s revenues.”
But the state agency said it may take some time to see any of the effects of recent rate cuts.
“While recent changes in the federal funds rate may lead to increased state revenues, absent a significant change in the rate, the impact on revenues and expenditures would not likely be seen immediately. We will continue to monitor and assess all economic indicators to ensure steady, sustainable, conservative growth for the benefit of all Alabamians,” the department said in a statement.
Schmiedicke said Wisconsin is very reliant on property taxes because although state law allows a statewide sales tax and counties can impose a 0.5% sales tax, cities other than Milwaukee have not been able to do so. The state also has strict limits on property tax increases.
“We could see more development in the city and that could definitely help with our overall property tax base, as well as if it results in more travel and room taxes,” he said.
As states and localities wrestle with how to provide more affordable housing, with nearly half of renters having to spend more than 30% of their income on housing, lower interest rates could help spur more building. Fleury said the costs of loans and labor and materials has been “astronomical,” making it hard for developers to build. Although she said Battle Creek would love to take advantage of Low Income Housing Tax Credits, it’s challenging to fund projects.
“I think that a lower interest rate could really help us get farther along in our housing plans,” she said “If you can’t get your project to pencil within what they’re able to fund or finance, we just never make the list.”
Despite lower interest rates creating a better environment for affordable rent and homes, states will likely continue to spend a lot of energy on housing programs, Sigritz said. Governors’ budget proposals and state of the state speeches have prioritized affordable housing more and more in the past few years, he said, and he expects this to continue.
“Housing affordability is not an issue that’s going to go away overnight, and there’s still a need for more housing,” Sigritz said. “It takes a while to build additional housing even in the lower-interest environment.”
The transition to electric school buses (ESBs) is revolutionizing student transportation and helping school districts across the U.S. reduce their environmental impact. However, many districts have encountered significant challenges with charging infrastructure, especially when it comes to cost and complexity. First ChargeTM, a patent-pending, modular, and scalable solution, is designed by school bus operators for school bus operators to address these very challenges.
Unlike traditional charging systems that require costly trenching and construction, First ChargeTM utilizes an innovative hub-and-spoke design with all components installed above ground. This eliminates the need for extensive subsurface work, significantly reducing installation costs and speeding up deployment. The system is highly flexible, capable of adapting to fleet growth and operational changes over time.
Available in four different configurations—including ground-based and floating options for areas prone to flooding—First ChargeTM ensures districts can meet their electrification needs efficiently and affordably. The system supports up to 45 chargers and is available through a convenient subscription model that includes energy management, maintenance, and fleet optimization.
Download the full white paper to learn how First ChargeTM can help your district overcome the challenges of electrification and achieve sustainability goals.
Fill out the form below and then check your email for the white paper download link.
Working to achieve energy resilience isn’t just about implementing electric school buses into a district fleet. It also keeps students and communities served during natural disasters and power outages.
An information-packed webinar examined U.S. electric school bus adoption rates and challenges while sharing stories of several school districts that achieved energy resilience for emergency preparedness and low-emissions goals.
Numbers Increasing
Marcus Gilmore, senior advisor of clean mobility strategy for webinar sponsor ENGIE North America, shared on Wednesday that over 12,000 electric school buses (ESBs) serving approximately 230,000 students across 49 U. S. states were awarded, ordered, delivered, or are operating as of this June. The stats are courtesy of the World Resources Institute Electric School Bus Initiative data dashboard, which indicates that 12,241 ESBs were committed as of Oct. 1.
California unsurprisingly leads with 3,110 buses. New York, Maryland, Florida, Virginia and Texas each have anywhere from 385-764 buses. Georgia, Oregon, Oklahoma, Mississippi and South Carolina are in the game with over a hundred buses each.
“This leadership is driven by state policies and funding programs,” he explained. “Understanding these factors can help improve adoption rates.”
The rollout will continue as California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, New York, and Washington state all have binding school bus transition goals while other states have non-binding goals or have ESB-promoting legislation in the works.
Sources of funding include the historic U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program that has awarded $2.8 billion to school districts to date, with more funding to come. In the latest round, applicants can request funds for 25 to 50 buses, doubled from the previous round. Eligible replacement buses can be electric, CNG or propane, and there are scrappage requirements for old buses.
For better acceptance chances, he encouraged districts to have a complete, detailed application that focuses on community improvement.
Gilmore also highlighted regional funding programs in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Illinois, Colorado and California.
EPA also expects 70 percent of the $932 million available through the Clean Heavy Duty Vehicles Program to go toward school buses.
Neal Bartek, ENGIE’s project director of microgrids, noted that federal agencies and utilities can also help with funding for infrastructure projects.
Challenges & Solutions
Before ordering electric school buses, districts may face a lack of funding, charging infrastructure, or even of the awareness of the benefits of these vehicles. These, Gilmore said, can be solved with research, government funding and collaboration with utilities.
“It’s crucial to have a clear strategy and to make sure you have effective stakeholder engagement when you’re in the initial stages of planning for your fleet transition,” Gilmore said.
He also advised collaborating with utilities “frequently and early.”
He added that it’s important to know details like which chargers will fit with which buses and what routes the buses will be running, so the correctly specified equipment can be procured. “Definitely build flexibility into your plan,” he said, since this technology is rapidly developing.
Gilmore shared that some tech schools can help train district staff on ESBs and that ENGIE is available to help as well.
ENGIE can help districts find and apply for grants they may have missed, he added.
An example of charging infrastructure (image courtesy of ENGIE).
School Districts Seek Energy Resilience
Neal Bartek, ENGIE’s project director of microgrids, dove into the topic of energy resilience, which is defined as the ability to withstand and rapidly recover from power outages and continue operating energy-dependent services. He explained that a resilient power system reduces the likelihood of long-duration outages, limits the scope and impact of outages when they do occur, and rapidly restores power after an outage.
Driving this demand is climate change and natural disasters like Hurricanes Helene and Milton that recently struck Florida, increasing energy demands, cybersecurity concerns, decarbonization goals like the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, technology advancements in renewable energy and batteries, and more.
Sustainable microgrids are a large part of this conversation, Bartek said. In a school transportation setting, the infrastructure typically consists of onsite solar photovoltaic (PV) generation, battery energy storage, a source of backup generation, smart chargers, and integrated microgrid controller.
When the grid is operating normally, these can be used to lower utility costs, he explained. When the grid is disrupted, they function independently to continue to power necessary components like buses and buildings.
Santa Barbara USD
He reviewed the situation of Santa Barbara Unified School District in Southern California, where schools served as safe havens during the Thomas Fire in December 2017. To better prepare for the future, district staff started looking into energy resiliency solutions to preserve critical energy loads during emergencies and power outages.
ENGIE’s comprehensive solar PV and microgrid solution was selected with the company completing system design, installation and maintenance. This was financed by a 28-year, no money down, Power Purchase Agreement, where ENGIE maintains ownership and maintenance responsibilities of the system.
Santa Barbara USD now has the benefits of operating critical facilities during power outages, backing up lighting, food storage, data and communication systems; reducing its utility bills with about 90 percent of the district’s annual energy needs met by solar; and having expert operations and maintenance handled by ENGIE.
El Dorado Union High School District partnered with ENGIE for energy resilience.
The El Dorado Union High School District (EDUHSD) serves approximately 7,000 high school students in central California. Increasing prevalence of wildfires in the county has led to utility-mandated public safety power shutoff events.
EDUHSD had previously successfully mitigated its rising electricity costs by partnering with ENGIE to install solar PV panels on its parking shade structures. It next retrofitted three schools with LED lighting to reduce energy consumption and turned two campuses into sustainable microgrids by adding solar PV panels, battery energy storage, and a diesel generator which only kicks in when battery levels fall below 20 percent.
“The district’s schools can operate regardless of utility outages and can support the local community as a place of shelter and access,” Bartek shared.
He confirmed that EDUHSD achieved $6.4 million in net cost savings over the life of the project, a 77 percent reduction in consumption of electricity from the grid, and the carbon emissions reduction equivalent to removing 120 cars from the road.
“The ability to create a predictable environment where we can open and power our schools, and keep our students in class, regardless of what is happening with the grid, is wonderful,” said Superintendent Ron Carruth.
Located in northern San Diego County, San Marcos Unified School District serves 19,500 students in a 55-square mile territory that extends into four cities. In planning for an electric bus fleet, district officials needed to ensure continuity of operations during emergencies and other grid interruptions.
The district partnered with ENGIE to install 40 ESB chargers with smart charging software, electrical infrastructure for 35 future chargers, onsite solar PV and battery energy storage, and microgrid controls and backup generation. Bartek said this resulted in a $40 million net energy cost savings, including 46 percent reduction in electricity costs.
LED lighting, battery energy storage, and HVAC mechanical replacements were also installed.
“There are a lot of incentives out there. I got really lucky finding ENGIE. They’ve been a great partner to work with,” stated Executive Director of Transportation Mike Sawyer.
Bartek noted that energy resilience can be used to provide food, shelter and warmth for displaced residents or emergency service providers.
He also reviewed factors ENGIE needs to know when planning and sizing an energy resiliency system, such as what the current infrastructure is like, how much load districts need backed up, for how long, and how fiscally conscious they need to be.
Racine Mayor Cory Mason, photographed in the outdoor, rooftop lounge at the Hotel Verdant in Downtown Racine. (Wisconsin Examiner photo)
For Racine Mayor Corey Mason, a small park studded with boulders on the shore of Lake Michigan just south of the city’s downtown is an object lesson on the impact of climate change.
In January 2020, a 100-year storm demolished at least one-third of Sam Myers Park. “If you’d been here at the time, you would have seen a lot of these boulders on the street,” Mason said at a morning press conference on the park grounds last week.
“Climate change, if we don’t address it, is expensive,” Mason said. “We are seeing more frequent and more powerful storms, and the cost of upsizing our wastewater pipes or making a more resilient and powerful lakefront becomes an important investment that we have to make.”
This report is part of an occasional series of Wisconsin Examiner stories reporting on the impact of Biden administration economic policies on Wisconsin.
While the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) paid for the restoration, the park served as a backdrop last week for Mason to describe how the city has benefitted from other federal programs: three signature laws passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden over the last four years.
Between the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the bipartisan infrastructure law in 2021 and the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, Racine has gotten a formidable amount of federal support.
“Those three together are sort of the holy trinity of federal legislation,” Mason said in an interview. “They’ve just been so transformational for us. I don’t know how we’d have gotten through Covid without them.”
ARPA, the pandemic relief program that was enacted in the first three months of Biden’s term, funded incentives the city used to encourage residents to get the first vaccine for COVID-19, which was just becoming available then. The city’s ARPA allotment also helped it fund programs for youth employment and adult high school, Mason said.
Some $38 million in ARPA money — $20 million from the state and $18 million from the city’s direct allotment — are helping to finance a newcommunity and health center in Racine’s Lincoln-King neighborhood just west of Downtown.
A $9.8 million infusion from the bipartisan infrastructure law will cover more than 70% of design and construction costs to repave a stretch of one of Racine’s main north-south arteries and put new concrete on three other streets. Some of that money is also covering 80% of the cost of bridge repairs and additional street repairs.
In the coming year, Mason said, the law will fund Racine’s first “smart street” project — reconfiguring streets to be more walkable, adding bike lanes and curb bump-out features that require drivers to slow down “instead of four big lanes where people drive in as fast as they can in each direction.”
And the mayor singles out federal support for strong sustainability measures in the city. The sources of those measures are climate and clean energy provisions in the infrastructure law along with the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes extensive renewable energy and energy conservation provisions.
Racine has been electrifying the city’s bus fleet. The first nine electric buses were purchased from Racine’s share of a national legal settlement with Volkswagen over allegations the automaker cheated on federal emissions tests. The city is buying four more buses, funded through the infrastructure law, at which point the bus fleet will be 40% electric.
A new solar station is planned to recharge the mass transit vehicles. Construction is expected to start in the first half of 2025, with $1.2 million of its cost paid for from ARPA.
Federal government: From uninterested to policy ally
Climate change was a priority of Mason’s from when was first elected seven years ago. He committed the city to following the Paris Climate Accords.
Former President Donald Trump was in the White House at the time and withdrew from the accords in 2017. With federal policymakers uninterested in addressing climate change, Mason said, he looked elsewhere for support.
An electric city bus was the centerpiece for a city of Racine press conference Sept. 26 to discuss the city’s sustainability investments made possible by federal funds. (Wisconsin Examiner photo)
He joined the bipartisan Climate Mayors organization, municipal chief executives concerned about what many viewed as the central environmental concern of the time. He found the group invaluable for sharing ideas and learning what could work.
“You hear people, ‘Oh, you can’t do police cars that are electric,’” Mason said. “And then you go to a conference, and here’s 12 that are using electric vehicles as police cars.”
He welcomed the sharp federal turnaround on climate policy when Biden entered the White House in 2021.
“I can’t … emphasize enough just what a transformation it has been to have real partners at the federal government,” Mason told reporters at last week’s press event. He called the infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act “generational pieces of legislation.”
The city started its work on renewable energy and energy conservation several years before either of those bills were on the national agenda. Nearly 20 years ago the city installed solar cells near a municipal annex building. In 2020 it leased a 2.6 acre patch of a South Side industrial park to Wisconsin Electric Power Co. to build a solar array.
Racine has been retrofitting municipal buildings, 70 years old on average, with energy-saving measures such as better insulation, which climate experts say shouldn’t be overlooked in the quest to reduce carbon emissions.
The infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act have helped turbocharge those efforts. Besides big projects like the park rehabilitation and the new electric buses, the city has also benefited from much smaller ones.
Homeowners and businesses have been eligible for tax credits to help cover the cost of what they spend on energy conservation. Nonprofit groups and municipalities can’t claim tax credits (they don’t pay taxes), but through the Inflation Reduction Act’s direct pay program, they can get the same sort of reimbursement.
“Having a check sent back to you for 30% to 60% of the costs is just transformational,” Mason said.
Green investment nets developer tax credits
The city hasn’t been the only beneficiary of the act.
Five years ago, Milwaukee developer Mike O’Connor paid a visit to Racine and happened upon what had once been a major downtown department store. Unoccupied since the 1980s, the building had been partially renovated for a nonprofit, but that project was abandoned. “It was kind of a raw canvas — it was pretty well ready to go,” O’Connor said in an interview.
Developer Mike O’Connor shows off the green roof of the Hotel Verdant in Downtown Racine on Thursday, Sept. 26. (Wisconsin Examiner photo)
O’Connor and his business partner built their business, Dominion Properties, starting in the early 2000s with a focus on apartment buildings. Central to their business plan was lowering operating expenses by “chasing efficiency” on heating and related costs — adding insulation and high-efficiency furnaces.
In 2014 they went further, building a 20-unit apartment to meethigh-efficiency standards known as LEED (for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) set by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Lenders weren’t interested in an apartment block, O’Connor’s first idea for the Racine building, and there was no market for office space, he said. Then the pair hit on the idea of a boutique hotel — a standard feature in many historic downtown neighborhoods worldwide but nonexistent in Racine.
The city welcomed the proposal, seeing it as a likely draw for tourists as well as an asset that the city’s corporate leaders would value for visiting business travelers.
“We thought if we’re going to build, we’re going to build sustainably,” O’Connor said. “That fit well with what the mayor’s vision was.”
The 80-room Hotel Verdant opened a year ago. It’s heated with geothermal energy and boasts a rooftop full of solar panels that cover most of agreen roof planted with sedum. The plant is a source of shade as well as a feature to reduce temperatures on the roof surface and in the surrounding air.
The hotel project preceded the Inflation Reduction Act, but this year the federal law provided an unexpected benefit: Dominion Properties qualified for green energy tax credits, and was able to resell the credits to a third party, O’Connor said.
Projects yet to come
More projects are on the drawing board. Racine will announce a new municipal building that meets “net-zero” standards, meaning its operation does not produce emissions that add to the carbon already going into the atmosphere. And the city’s water and wastewater utilities are on the verge of planning a major investment in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions as well.
That idea came from a Climate Mayors colleague, Mason said. But he’s counting on the federal infrastructure and the inflation act’s climate programs to make it possible.
“More than half the energy the city consumes is from our water and wastewater utilities,” Mason said. “Without something like the bipartisan infrastructure law, it’s nearly impossible to imagine — how would you get to a net-zero water and wastewater utility? But now we are seeing other communities across the country that are using the [Inflation Reduction Act] and the infrastructure law to do exactly that.”
Racine’s climate sustainability focus extends to the city’s policy with developers — and it has courted developers who share that perspective.
When a developer proposed a new apartment complex on a riverfront corner downtown, city officials included a requirement for 5% of the parking to have electric vehicle charging stations. “And the developer was like, ‘Well, at least — we’re going to need more than that,’” Mason said.
Developers and key local employers have told him they view expanded EV charging capacity as an important amenity to draw customers or prospective employees. “We want to help incentivize that for local businesses here who want to be able to do that,” Mason said.
Even with the growing private sector interest, he sees an important role for government to play spurring the growth of renewable energy.
“I think the more we can get ahead of the market, the more we get a competitive advantage by having those resources available for people who want to live here or work here,” Mason said.
School bus electrification in the US has come a long way in the past decade, with especially robust growth in the past two years. School districts across the nation have committed to purchasing more than 12,000 electric buses, and there are over 3,500 already on the road.
Though broadly positive, these results don’t tell the whole story. In fact, districts vary widely in their progress on the fleet electrification journey. Those in the earliest stages are working on obtaining buy-in and making sense of constantly evolving funding incentive programs. Those that have ordered vehicles must carefully time and plan the deployment of supportive infrastructure. And those that already have vehicles in operation are navigating energy cost management and resiliency challenges.
This new webinar sponsored by ENGIE North America will update K-12 fleet professionals on the current state of bus fleet electrification, explore technical requirements, and help prepare business cases for each stage of the journey.
Drawing on a long history of providing eMobility and other sustainable energy solutions to K-12 districts, ENGIE experts will share:
A breakdown of adoption rates and trends: national, regional, and equity-focused
A review of recent and upcoming incentive programs, with application windows
Challenges and best practices for each fleet electrification stage
Case studies on deployments of eMobility infrastructure, including the latest trend in K-12: sustainable microgrids
Brought to you by ENGIE North America
REGISTER BELOW:
Presenters:
Marcus Gilmore
Senior Advisor, Clean Mobility Strategy
ENGIE North America
Gilmore has over a decade of experience in the clean energy sector, leading impactful sustainability initiatives for corporations, cities, and governments. At ENGIE, he works with organizations to develop and implement strategies for transitioning to zero-emission vehicle fleets and other clean energy solutions. Previously, Gilmore led multiple state and utility market transformation programs accelerating electric vehicle adoption, charging infrastructure deployment, and medium/heavy-duty vehicle fleet electrification. He holds a MS in PR and Corporate Communications from NYU and an MSc in Major Program Management from the University of Oxford.
Neal Bartek
Project Director, Microgrids
ENGIE North America
Bartek has more than 20 years’ experience leading diverse, cross-functional teams to success in projects across varied domains such as distributed energy resources (DER), IT, and traditional utility infrastructure including pioneering microgrid and advanced energy storage projects. Prior to ENGIE, he held multiple roles at San Diego Gas & Electric. He holds a BS in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Cornell University.
SANTA MONICA, Calif. – InCharge Energy, the leader in providing reliable electric fleet charging and energy solutions, is proud to announce the hiring of Rich Mohr and Zeb Dawson. Mohr, who was most recently Senior Vice President, North America, Fleet Solutions at ChargePoint, and prior to that was Chief Technology Officer at Ryder System, Inc., joined InCharge as its new Chief Commercial Officer. Additionally, Zeb Dawson, who most recently led operations for Motional, and was previously with Uber and Tesla, has joined InCharge Energy as Vice President of Service Operations.
Mohr brings more than 25 years of fleet and product experience to InCharge, including as Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of New Products, Fleet Management Solutions, for Ryder System, Inc., prior to his time with ChargePoint. Mohr’s responsibilities with InCharge include Reseller and Channel Sales, Sales Management, and Service Operations. Prior to Motional, Dawson was a leader at both Uber and Tesla in operations and sales. Both Mohr and Dawson will be based in the company’s Virginia-located Engineering & Fulfillment Center.
This strategic expansion of leadership reinforces InCharge Energy’s proven track record of providing reliable charging solutions for commercial electric fleets. InCharge Energy’s end to end charging offerings empower fleets to transition to EVs with ease. These purpose built fleet solutions include reliable and versatile hardware that is regularly tested to assure interoperability with most EVs in operation, InControl user-friendly charge management software (CMS) that helps optimize uptime and lower operational costs, financing through Charging as a Service, grants and incentives support, and an in-house team of trained service technicians positioned across the US and Canada.
“By adding to our leadership team, InCharge is enhancing our ability to provide InCharge customers with the premium support they expect. As more fleets become partly or fully electrified, there is an increasing emphasis on reliable charging. This requires not just excellent charging hardware, but also high quality, trained service teams because even the best chargers break with high levels of utilization. InCharge believes hiring and training the best service technicians will always be more reliable than relying on subcontractors,” noted Terry O’Day, COO, InCharge Energy.
About InCharge Energy:
InCharge Energy is simplifying and accelerating the transition to EVs for commercial fleets in North America. The company’s reliable and scalable turnkey charging solutions for EV infrastructure equip North America-based businesses, auto manufacturers and dealerships, school districts, and public agencies with everything they need to seamlessly electrify their fleets and optimize daily operations.
Headquartered in the world’s first zero-emissions delivery zone in Santa Monica, Calif., with investment backing from ABB E-Mobility, InCharge Energy has locations in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Michigan, Virginia, and Quebec, Canada. More information about InCharge Energy and its services can be found at www.inchargeus.com.
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Gilmore has over a decade of experience in the clean energy sector, leading impactful sustainability initiatives for corporations, cities, and governments. At ENGIE, he works with organizations to develop and implement strategies for transitioning to zero-emission vehicle fleets and other clean energy solutions. Previously, Gilmore led multiple state and utility market transformation programs accelerating electric vehicle adoption, charging infrastructure deployment, and medium/heavy-duty vehicle fleet electrification. He holds a MS in PR and Corporate Communications from NYU and an MSc in Major Program Management from the University of Oxford.
Bartek has more than 20 years’ experience leading diverse, cross-functional teams to success in projects across varied domains such as distributed energy resources (DER), IT, and traditional utility infrastructure including pioneering microgrid and advanced energy storage projects. Prior to ENGIE, he held multiple roles at San Diego Gas & Electric. He holds a BS in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Cornell University.
user-friendly charge management software (CMS) that helps optimize uptime and lower operational costs, financing through Charging as a Service, grants and incentives support, and an in-house team of trained service technicians positioned across the US and Canada.