Rural MACOG Communities Receive Funding to Pilot Electric Vehicles

Thursday, May 2, 2024 at 4:58 PM

The Indiana Office of Energy Development awarded four local governments including Marshall County, the City of Plymouth, the City of Nappanee, and the Town of Walkerton

A combined $578,987 or about 40% of the $1.47 million awarded by the agency through the federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program.

The four projects are part of the Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG) electric vehicle pilot cohort. Collectively, the four grantees will pilot 8 all-electric vehicles including two SUVs, 5 light-duty pickup trucks, and one vehicle outfitted for police service.

Marshall County was awarded $154,333 to pilot two light-duty electric pickup trucks in their County Highway operations and install vehicle charging hardware at the Highway Garage to accommodate the project.

The City of Plymouth was awarded $225,367 to add 3 additional electric trucks to the city fleet, as the city already operates one Ford F-150 Lightning in the Parks department. The performance of electric vehicles will be rigorously evaluated in three new use cases, one each dedicated to their Streets, Wastewater, and Building departments. The project also includes adding an electric vehicle charging station at Centennial Park that will also serve fleet vehicles. The grant covers the cost of all vehicles and equipment, and the city will install charging equipment in-house.

The City of Nappanee in Elkhart County was awarded $127,225 to cover 100% of the cost of piloting an electric SUV and electric pick-up truck for their Planning department, expanding the fleet cost efficiently where city employees are currently using their personal vehicles. The grant is budgeted to cover 100% of the project costs including installation of charging.

The town of Walkerton in St. Joseph County was awarded $72,062 to purchase a pursuit-rated electric vehicle for police service. The town committed to contributing $16,000 towards the cost of upfitting the vehicle. While Walkerton is projected to put the first all-electric pursuit-capable law enforcement vehicle into service in the MACOG region, they join Bargersville, New Albany, North Judson, and the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Department, which have piloted electric vehicles for police use in Indiana.