Township receives PADEP grant to add electric vehicle to fleet

Ferguson Township is among the recipients of a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) grant for clean vehicle projects throughout the state. The Township has been awarded a $7,500 grant to acquire an all-electric vehicle from the DEP Alternative Fuels Incentive Grants (AFIG) program, which supports the replacement of natural gas vehicles as well as the installation of a charging station. 

The award was the maximum amount the program grants for an electric vehicle (EV) acquisition. The other recipient in Centre County is Penn State University, which received $60,000 for five EVs and three hybrid EVs. 

Ferguson Township’s Engineering Department will use the new vehicle to and from field visits and meetings. Township Manager David Pribulka said he will pursue DEP funding for a dual-port charging station to be installed at the Ferguson Township Municipal Building at 3147 Research Drive. “I hope this will be the first of many electric vehicles we add to the Township’s fleet,” he said.

In an interview with Next-Gen Transportation (NGT) News, DEP Secretary Patrick O’Donnell said, “Every alternative fuel vehicle that replaces a gasoline- or diesel-powered vehicle not only saves owners money but moves Pennsylvania a bit closer toward a cleaner, healthier environment. Reducing emissions is essential to slowing climate change and its negative health and safety, economic, and environmental impacts on our communities.”