CORE Heavy-Duty Off-Road Equipment Funding Cycle Closes
The Clean Off-Road Equipment Voucher Incentive Project (CORE) has closed its heavy-duty equipment funding cycle. The funding period opened in July 2023 and closed in January 2024 following high demand. Administered by CALSTART, a national clean-transportation technology nonprofit, the funding cycle provided point-of-sale discounts on such off-road zero-emission (ZE) equipment as:
| Terminal tractors | Mobile power units (MPUs) |
| Truck- and trailer-mounted transport refrigeration units (TRUs) | Mobile shore-power cable management systems |
| Forklifts | Construction equipment |
| Cargo-handling equipment | Agricultural equipment |
| Airport ground-support equipment | Commercial harbor craft |
| Railcar movers and switchers |
CORE provides incentives during scheduled funding lanes to offset the initial purchase price of ZE off-road equipment, with the goal of accelerating adoption of such equipment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric pollutants, particularly in severely impacted areas. Transitioning to ZE equipment improves the health of workers and nearby communities, and helps to mitigate detrimental climate-change effects.
“This has been CORE’s most successful funding cycle to date, with significant participation by the communities and businesses who can most benefit from CORE,” said Jacob Whitson, CALSTART’s Deputy Director for CORE. “Use of zero-emission off-road equipment substantially improves air quality and eliminates pollutants, which in turn works to reverse the impact of global climate effects.”
The funding cycle, which closed on January 18, received more than 1,300 voucher requests for off-road ZE equipment, and an additional 750 requests for charging equipment. Of these requests, 54% were funded in disadvantaged communities (DACs) and 15% of the participants were small businesses, both of which are identified as target audiences for CORE. Additionally, demand exceeded the amount of available funding. Funding in five equipment categories, which included construction, agriculture and mobile power units, was fully allocated.
During the cycle’s six-month open period, CORE participated in more than 15 off-road zero-emission events across California, engaging with DACs, small businesses, low-income communities and other industry and community stakeholders. During the funding cycle’s active period, the CORE project team also interacted with many equipment manufacturers and dealerships, ultimately approving 46 ZE manufacturers and 104 dealerships for participation in CORE.
By way of comparison, the first round of CORE incentives, which took place in 2020, distributed more than $38M over 300 vouchers for zero-emission equipment; terminal tractors were the most requested equipment type at the time. CORE is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, improving public health and the environment, and providing meaningful benefits to the most disadvantaged communities, low-income communities and low-income households.
