Washington to launch historic $126M incentive that could revolutionize industry: 'We are very eager'

The state of Washington approved a $126 million program to increase the number of clean energy trucks on the road. 

Though the Washington Zero-Emission Incentive Program has been slow to launch, it is nearing implementation. There will soon be incentives available to support commercial fleet operators in transitioning to trucks powered by electricity and hydrogen. 

The voucher amounts have yet to be finalized, but they will be based on weight and fund electric and hydrogen fuel cell technologies. Applicants can also request money to support charging infrastructure for the new electric trucks.

The program's goal is to assist trucking companies with the upfront costs of switching from gas-powered vehicles to clean energy ones. Over time, the companies will save money via reduced fuel costs and fewer maintenance requirements. 

"We are very eager for WAZIP to launch as soon as possible," Leah Missik of Climate Solutions said. "We know from the experience in other states and even from the experience of people who've been able to get clean trucks here in Washington that this program will help drivers and businesses save money, and it will benefit communities." 

This incentive program is encouraging because Washington's transportation sector is the state's biggest source of air pollution. In California, a similar truck voucher program has generated more than $1.6 billion in savings over the past 15 years. 

This progress in Washington is significant, as the federal government has been taking steps to slow the clean energy transition. 

For both residential and commercial use, electric truck owners have found that they save money by charging their EVs with solar energy. 

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You can complement clean energy transition efforts by driving your own EV and setting an example for others in your community.  

In response to a Reddit post about the Washington program, one person pointed out: "Fixing and improving the grid to handle the load of EVs is a well-known thing that needs to happen. We have multiple paths to solving such problems, such as flash-charger local batteries to even out the load on the grid."

"Investing in infrastructure always leads to an ROI," someone else added.

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