Newark receives a grant to electrify fleet vehicles and mowers.
Newark receives $532,000 from Energize Delaware and DNREC’s Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment Rebates Program.
Newark is the first city in Delaware to purchase electric vehicles using Energize Delaware’s EVs for Municipalities and local Government Grant.
$490,000 from Energize Delaware will be used to purchase four EVs, two e-mowers, and six charging stations throughout the city, as well as pay for an EV charging station feasibility study.
Newark started the year with three electric vehicles. The city’s Chief Procurement and Projects Officer Jeff Martindale says it planned to add more a few years ago, but the pandemic delayed their purchase.
"And the use of this grant funding really pushes forward significantly in this realm, and we were able to make up for the lost years through the pandemic in terms of the electrification of our fleet," said Martindale.
So far, Newark has purchased the mowers and a pickup truck for the Newark Police Department.
Martindale says this grant enables the city to improve its EV fleet - a goal since before the pandemic.
"So getting this money from Energize Delaware has been tremendous for us,” said Martindale. “So we went from starting this year with just those three Nissan Leafs to now having 10 total electric vehicles, eight in the form of either sedans, SUVs, or pickup trucks, and then two being electric mowers."
The charging stations will be added to the Newark Police Department parking lot, Field Operations Complex on Phillips Avenue, City Hall parking lot, and Municipal Lot 1.
Newark is also receiving charging station rebates totaling $42,000 from DNREC.
