Released: April 14, 2022
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) announced that Delaware County has been awarded two Alternative Fuel Incentive Grants totaling $600,000 to be used by the County for the purchase of new electric vehicles (EVs) and related charging stations.
The generous grant, sought by the Delaware County Office of Sustainability, will allow the County to purchase 69 new EVs—with 29 dedicated to the new Delaware County Health Department for health care visits around the county—and 22 charging stations. This compliments two 2021 AFIG grants that recently allowed the County to purchase 15 EVs and three charging stations, bringing the entire County fleet to 84 EVs and 25 charging stations.
With the entire Delaware County fleet of vehicles consisting of over 300 cars, trucks, and specialty law enforcement vehicles, the new grant will enable the County to make a significant improvement in the percentage of sustainable no-emission EVs in the County fleet and aggressively transition away from fossil-fuel burning vehicles. Overall, the new EVs is poised to displace 33,253 gallons of gasoline per year and reduce greenhouse gases emissions by 178 tons per year.
The transition to EVs and the related reduction in fossil-fuel burning vehicles is part of the Delaware County Sustainability and Climate Action Plan, which is currently in the final stages of development. This plan will provide the County with a variety of action items to address human-caused climate change, which Delaware County Council and global experts agree is a threat to public health, with the most vulnerable populations (including the oldest and youngest, as well as those already facing economic and health challenges) at the highest risk.
Delaware County Council thanks PA DEP for this highly impactful grant that will help shape the future for Delaware County residents for years to come.