BYD says buyers of its line of U.S.-made battery-electric transit buses, motor coaches and heavy-duty trucks are eligible for $165 million in funds through the California Air Resources Board (CARB) Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP).
HVIP will open to new voucher requests on June 8. A total of approximately $165 million will be available. However, only half of the funds will be released to the public when the program opens – the other half will be made available two months later on August 10. Class 8 trucks performing drayage operations as well as any vehicles purchased by a public government entity are exempt from the two-month pause.
The voucher program includes BYD’s complete transit bus line, with the 30-foot K7M eligible for $85,000 in incentives, and the 30-foot K7M-ER, 35-foot K8M, 40-foot K9M and 60-foot K11M eligible for $120,000. BYD’s 35-foot C8M, 35-foot Double Decker C8MS, 40-foot C9M, 45-foot C10M and 45-foot Double Decker C10MS motor coaches are eligible for $120,000 vouchers. For electric truck customers, BYD’s Class 6 models 6F and 6R are eligible for $85,000 while the Class 8 models 8R and 8TT are eligible for $120,000 (or $150,000 in drayage operations).
Voucher amounts can be increased by an additional 10% if the vehicles are domiciled in a disadvantaged community. Voucher amounts can be increased by an additional 15% if the vehicles are procured by a public transit agency. The chassis of any vehicle receiving an HVIP voucher must be titled and licensed in California and the vehicle must be California-registered.