GFO-20-602 Questions and Answers - Home Page-California ...



Questions and AnswersZero-Emission Transit Fleet Infrastructure DeploymentGFO-20-602September 24, 2020The following answers are based on California Energy Commission (CEC) staff’s interpretation of the questions received. It is the Applicant’s responsibility to review the purpose of the solicitation and to determine whether or not their proposed project is eligible for funding by reviewing the Eligibility Requirements within the solicitation. The CEC cannot give advice as to whether or not a particular project is eligible for funding, because not all proposal details are known.Availability of FundsQ1: In Section 1.F. Availability of Funds of the Solicitation Manual, under the Type of Fleet Conversion, for the “Large fleet / Urban” category, does the solicitation only allow for fleets with “Total Buses Operated in Annual Maximum Service” between 100 and 250? A1: No. The “Large fleet / Urban” category has been modified to allow public transit agencies operating more than 100 transit buses to be eligible for funding. Applicants operating more than 100 transit buses must also operate in a service area with a population of at least 200,000 and demonstrate plans to convert at least 25 transit buses to zero-emission by March 31, 2025. Please see Addendum 1 in the Solicitation Manual.Q2: Could you please explain how the table in Section I.F. works?A2: Applicants may apply for funding in one of the four “Type of Fleet Conversion” categories listed in Section 1.F. Availability of Funds. Eligible Applicants will determine their appropriate category by evaluating the population size of the public transit agency’s service territory and the total number of transit buses operated in annual maximum service, excluding demand response buses. Once a category is determined, applicants should review the “Number of Zero-Emission Buses Demonstrated by Infrastructure” column of the table to determine the number of transit buses that must be converted during the term of the grant agreement. Applicants should also review Section 1.G. Maximum Award Amounts to determine the maximum award. Q3: Can a transit agency in a small area of a population of less than 200,000 qualify for an award or are they ineligible?A3: Based on the limited information provided in this question, the described Applicant appears to be eligible under the “Small fleet / Rural” or the “Multiple fleets / Shared” categories under the Type of Fleet Conversion. Please refer to Section I.F. Availability of Funds of the Solicitation Manual.Q4: If you were considered a large agency, do you have to apply for infrastructure that benefits 2 small fleets as well?A4: No. The Type of Fleet Conversion categories have been modified to allow large transit fleets to apply under one of two categories: “Large fleet / Urban” or “Multiple fleets / Shared”. Please refer to Addendum 1 for modifications related to Section I.F. Availability of Funds.Q5: Is population contingent on the area we are in?A5: Population is determined by the location of the public transit agency fleet and the territory being serviced. The population numbers are based upon the last published totals by the Bureau of Census before December 31, 2017. Q6: Under the “Number of Zero-Emission Buses Supported by Infrastructure” column of the table in Section 1.F. Availability of Funds of the Solicitation Manual, are these the number of vehicles we need to have or the vehicles that need to be supported by infrastructure?A6: The “at least” number of zero-emission buses in this category represents the minimum number of zero-emission buses that will be deployed at the public transit agency’s facility during the term of a resulting grant agreement, in order to demonstrate the installed infrastructure. Please note that these numbers have been modified in Addendum 1. Please refer to Section I.F. Availability of Funds of the Solicitation Manual.Q7: How did CEC come up with the four categories under the type of fleet conversion?A7: CEC staff determined these fleet conversion categories based on public feedback received at staff workshops held on October 25, 2019, April 10, 2020, and August 4, 2020. Q8: In the “Small fleet / Urban” category, we must have at least 50 zero-emission buses deployed by 2025, correct?A8: No. The requirements have been modified and Applicant’s in the “Small fleet / Urban” category must now operate and fuel at least 15 zero-emission buses by March 31, 2025. Each project must also provide a minimum of 12 months of data collection on deployed infrastructure for all required vehicles by March 31, 2026. Please refer Section I.F. Availability of Funds in the Solicitation Manual.Q9: With a total transit fleet of 126 transit vehicles (86 transit, 40 Paratransit) and a population of over 200,000, would this be considered a large fleet?A9: The fleet, as described, would be eligible to apply to this solicitation under the “Small fleet / Urban” category, as demand response buses are excluded in the “annual maximum service” definition. Please refer Section I.F. Availability of Funds in the Solicitation Manual.Q10: We are less than 200,000 in population, but in an urban area. How significant is the rural label?A10: For the purposes of this solicitation, an area with a population below 200,000 would be categorized as “Small fleet / Rural”. The “area” is defined as the boundary of the public transit agency’s service territory. The rural and urban labels are being defined in this solicitation by population size. Although the area may be considered urban, for the purpose of this solicitation, the fleet would be categorized as a “Small fleet / Rural”.Q11: Why is the CEC requiring a much higher percentage of zero-emission buses in service when compared to the California Air Resources Board’s Innovative Clean Transit rule?A11: The intent of this solicitation is to demonstrate a large-scale deployment of zero-emission buses, above and beyond the Innovative Clean Transit rule requirements. Funds from this solicitation will go towards the infrastructure needed to charge or refuel a large-scale deployment of heavy-duty vehicles. The goal is to understand infrastructure needs and benefits of large-scale projects in order to gain lessons learned for other transit agencies to use as the Innovative Clean Transit rule goes into effect. Additionally, the number of zero-emission buses being required in this solicitation has been modified. Please refer to Section I.F Availability of Funds in the Solicitation Manual.Q12: As a large agency, if you partner with another fleet, can the large agency just provide interoperable chargers and buses? We cannot ensure other agencies will have a zero-emission buses on time due to funding and other procurement issues.A12: The requirements for Applicants applying with large fleets has been modified. Please refer to the modified requirements for “Large fleet / Urban” and “Multiple fleets / Shared” in Section I.F. Availability of Funds of the Solicitation Manual. However, if applying under the “Multiple fleets / Shared” category, more than one fleet needs to demonstrate the conversion of transit buses to zero-emission. As long as the total “Number of Zero-Emission Buses Supported by Infrastructure” equals at least 25 buses during the term of the agreement, it does not matter how many buses each transit agency is converting, although it must be at least one bus and the infrastructure must be shared.Q13: What is the reasoning behind a shared facility requirement?A13: The requirement for a shared facility applies only to the “Multiple fleets / Shared” category listed in Section I.F. The intent of this requirement is to determine whether significant cost savings can be realized using this approach.Q14: We are an agency with a population of under 200,000 with 30 transit buses and 12 cutaways—total fleet of 42—but annual maximum service is 25 and 12, so 37 totals in maximum service, remainders are spares. According to table - 80% need to be battery electric buses, is that correct?A14: No, there is no requirement for the type of zero-emission buses being converted in the Applicant’s proposed project. Buses may either be hydrogen or electric buses. In the given example, the Applicant is eligible for funding under the “Small fleet / Rural” category, and at least ten zero-emission buses must be deployed during the term of the grant agreement. Please refer to Section I.F. Availability of Funds in the Solicitation Manual.Applicant RequirementsQ15: Do you have to be a transit agency to apply to this solicitation? Does the transit agency need to own the capital equipment? A15: This solicitation is open to all public and private entities; however, a public transit agency must be included in the Applicant’s proposed project team. Title to equipment purchased with grant funds shall vest in the Recipient. However, the transit agency does not necessarily need to own the capital equipment, as the transit agency is not required to be the Recipient. Please refer to Attachment 9, Clean Transportation Program Terms and Conditions, paragraph 12. The Terms and Conditions also provide that equipment cannot be transferred or encumbered without CEC approval.Q16: For many of these transit agencies, low ridership from COVID-19 has reduced much of the available capital to deploy this large amount of zero-emission buses and the associated infrastructure. It would increase the rate of zero-emission bus deployments if a private company were able to own the assets and set up a lease structure with the transit authorities, otherwise known as an Infrastructure-as a-service agreement. This type of ownership structure provides a platform to greatly increase the zero-emission fleet deployment rates. Will the CEC allow a third party to own the infrastructure assets and lease them to a transit authority for their operations?A16: According to the Terms and Conditions of the grant agreement, the Recipient will need to take title of the equipment. However, the Recipient is not required to be a transit agency. If a private company was the Recipient, it could receive grant funds to build the infrastructure. The Recipient would have title to the equipment and could then lease it to the transit agency, which is only required to be a project partner under this solicitation. Q17: Are non-profit entities eligible to apply in partnership with a transit agency?A17: Yes. The solicitation is open to all public and private entities, but an Applicant’s proposed project team must include a public transit agency. Please refer to Section II.A. Eligibility Requirements of the Solicitation Manual.FundingQ18: Is the $6 million available for all grantees or maximum amount per winning grant?A18: Projects are eligible for up to 75% of total project costs or the Maximum Award Amount, whichever is less. $6 million is the maximum award amount available to Applicants applying under the “Large fleet / Urban” and “Multiple fleets / Shared” Type of Fleet Conversion categories. For maximum award amounts for all four categories, please refer to Section I.G. Maximum Award Amounts of the Solicitation Manual.Q19: Will the CEC consider underfunding applications to spread funding throughout the category?A19: No. The highest scoring, passing application from each Type of Fleet Conversion category will be recommended for funding at the level requested in the application. The remaining funds will then be allocated to the next overall highest scoring application(s), regardless of fleet conversion type, in ranked order until all funds available under this solicitation are exhausted. Q20: Has the CEC determined what percent of funds will be split among electric and hydrogen technology in different categories?A20: No. There will be no separation of funds based on fuel types. The purpose of this solicitation is to fund the electric vehicle (EV) charging or hydrogen refueling infrastructure needed to support the large-scale conversion of transit bus fleets to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) at multiple transit agencies serving diverse geographic regions and populations. The solicitation allows for flexibility among transit agencies as transit agency needs may vary.Project Requirements Q21: It is my understanding that this grant funding opportunity (GFO) is to develop a refueling system which is similar to today's gasoline system. Why would a cartridge replacement concept instead of refueling not be appropriate as a refueling infrastructure?A21: Without knowing the full details of your proposed technology, it is unknown if the described project is eligible. However, the intent of GFO-20-602 is to fund the fueling infrastructure needed to support the large-scale conversion of medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission transit bus fleets. The funds under this solicitation must be used for new or upgrades to existing fueling infrastructure that will support battery electric or hydrogen fuel cell transit buses. Please refer to Section II.B. Project Requirements in the Solicitation Manual.Q22: Can infrastructure be used for other agency vehicles in addition to transit buses?A22: Yes. Infrastructure can be used to support other agency vehicles as long as the eligibility requirements of the solicitation are met. Please refer to Section II. Eligibility Requirements in the Solicitation Manual.Q23: Is an EV charging station for an EV school bus fleet eligible for this grant?A23: No. Infrastructure for school buses, even if operated by a transit agency is ineligible for funding. Please refer to Section II.B. Project Requirements in the Solicitation Manual.Q24: In a separate proceeding, the CEC is conducting a load management tariff standard proceeding. Does charging technology deployed under this solicitation have to be on an open platform?A24: Electric charging infrastructure must be capable of open standards-based communications with an electric vehicle service provider (EVSP), local fleet energy management system (EMS), or utility. A specific standard is not required, however, please refer to Section II.B.8. for various network communication standards.Q25: Is there a deadline for the zero-emission transit buses to be procured and be in operation? Can there be a plan to procure the minimum number of buses after the infrastructure is financed and built?A25: Yes. All proposed projects must operate and be capable of fueling the number of zero-emission transit buses required by Type of Fleet Conversion (see Section I.F.) no later than March 31, 2025. Each project must provide a minimum of 12 months of data collection on deployed infrastructure for all required vehicles no later than March 31, 2026 (see Section II.B). The transit agency’s fleet replacement schedule can be addressed further in the Project Narrative and will be evaluated per the Evaluation Criteria in Section IV.E.Q26: What are the implications or what penalties will the CEC impose on an awardee that does not meet the vehicle deployment requirements at the specified time?A26: The CEC reserves the right to cancel the Recipient’s agreement funded by this solicitation at any time during the course of a project. Please refer to Attachment 9, Clean Transportation Program Terms and Conditions for reasons that may cause an agreement to be terminated. Without limiting any of the CEC’s other rights or remedies, failure to complete the funded project in a timely manner may result in the Recipient repaying all or a portion of CEC funds disbursed under the agreement.Q27: Can the other fleets be city, county, or refuse trucks?A27: No. All the vehicles being converted in the proposed projects need to be transit buses. However, the infrastructure funded can be shared with city, county, or refuse trucks, as long as the eligibility requirements of the solicitation are met. Please refer to Section II. Eligibility Requirements in the Solicitation Manual.Q28: Would a liquid hydrogen storage system intended to increase fueling capacity at an existing project with existing high-pressure storage and fueling infrastructure be allowable under this solicitation?A28: Without knowing the full details of your proposed project, the described project may be eligible. However, the intent of GFO-20-602 is to fund the fueling infrastructure needed to support the large-scale conversion of medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission transit bus fleets. The funds under this solicitation must be used for new or upgrades to existing fueling infrastructure that will support battery electric or hydrogen fuel cell transit buses. Please refer to Section II.B. Project Requirements in the Solicitation Manual.Q29: Is there going to be charging standard requirements (e.g., SAE) for projects that use wireless charging, since the medium-duty / heavy-duty (MD/HD) wireless standard is still in the final phases of development? If yes, could a UL field certification act as a viable substitute?A29: No. Given that MD/HD charging standards remain under development, the CEC has not specified standards for wireless charging. Any implementation of wireless charging interfaces should be designed to conform to the latest available versions of wireless charging standards compatible for use with MD/HD vehicles sold by multiple original automotive equipment manufacturers for widespread use across California and North America. Please refer to Section II.B. Project Requirements in the Solicitation Manual. Q30: Does the charging infrastructure need to be made available to the general public?A30: The charging infrastructure is not required to be publicly accessible, but transit fleets may elect to make charging infrastructure publicly accessible. Hydrogen refueling infrastructure, however, is limited to private-access stations only.Q31.Can the fleet use infrastructure grant funding to do incidental work for a given yard?A31: Without knowing the full details of your proposed project, it is unknown if the described activity is eligible. The intent of GFO-20-602 is to fund the fueling infrastructure needed to support the large-scale conversion of medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission transit bus fleets. The funds under this solicitation must be used for new or upgrades to existing fueling infrastructure to support the battery electric and/or hydrogen fuel cell transit buses being converted from this solicitation. This may include construction, site upgrades related to installation of equipment, and utility service upgrades. Please refer to Section II.B. Project Requirements in the Solicitation Manual.Q32: Are there any restrictions on the use of CEC funds in relation to the Innovative Clean Transit Regulation?A32: The funds under this solicitation cannot pay for compliance to existing laws, rules, and regulations including the Innovative Clean Transit Regulation. However, funds can be used to exceed existing requirements or accelerate deployments in advance of requirements coming into effect. The CEC will not reimburse for permitting, vehicle purchases and vehicle-related expenses, such as electric charging or fuel costs. Please refer to Section II.B. Project Requirements and Section II.C. Eligible Project Costs.Eligible Project CostsQ33: Are there any restrictions on those participating in feasibility studies? Can they participate in the solicitation?A33: There are no restrictions to Applicant’s participating in feasibility studies, but the timeline for the proposed project will be evaluated. All proposed projects must operate and fuel the number of zero-emission buses required by Type of Fleet Conversion no later than March 31, 2025. Each project must also provide a minimum of 12 months of data collection on the deployed infrastructure for all required vehicles no later than March 31, 2026. Please refer to Section II.B. Project Requirements of the Solicitation Manual. Q34: Are planning and design costs for hydrogen refueling infrastructure eligible for reimbursement?A34: Yes. Planning and engineering design costs for both types of fueling infrastructure are eligible project costs. Please refer to Section II.C. Eligible Project Costs of the Solicitation Manual.Match Funding RequirementQ35: Can the 25 percent match share requirement come from federal funds, or do they need to be local funds?A35: Match share may come from federal funds provided the funding otherwise meets the match requirements specified in the Solicitation Manual. The same is true for any other public funding that is proposed as match share. Please refer to Section II.D. Match Funding Requirements of the Solicitation Manual.Q36: Are buses eligible for match share?A36: Vehicle purchases may be counted towards match share only. The CEC will not reimburse for permitting, vehicle purchases and vehicle-related expenses, such as electric charging or fuel costs. Please refer to Section II.C. Eligible Project Costs of the Solicitation Manual.Q37: In the case of buses that might actually arrive after the station has been built and fully capitalized, but the buses need that station to fuel and operate, can the costs of the buses be applied retroactively as a cost share after the agreement is in place? Can buses that use that station within the term of the agreement be applied as cost share?A37: Costs of the buses can be applied as match share assuming those costs are incurred before the agreement end term date and after the Recipient is recommended for an award through the published Notice of Proposed Awards. Match expenditures incurred prior to the full execution of a funding agreement are made at the Applicant’s own risk. Recipients are expected to incur match fund expenditures concurrently with, or prior to, incurring CEC reimbursable expenses. AdministrativeQ38: Transit agencies are typically not allowed to solicit vendor proposals until funds are secured. How would you address the issue where the station vendor would not be available until after the application deadline?A38: In Attachment 5, Budget Forms, there are general instructions provided for budget completion for the project in the first worksheet. In the “subcontracts” tab, Applicants will be required to either insert the name of the known subcontractor or insert “TBD” if unknown.Q39: Is there a maximum allowable amount for project management?A39: No. There is no maximum allowable amount for project management costs, however the budget will be evaluated on the degree to which administrative and overhead costs are minimized. Applicants need to discuss in the Project Narrative how the proposed budget implements cost-saving strategies that reduce the amount of CEC funding necessary for project completion. Please refer to Section III.D.2.d, Project Budget and Section IV.E., Evaluation Criteria of the Solicitation Manual. Q40: Is it a requirement to have worked with the CEC in the past regarding Applicant’s Past Performance?A40: No. It is not a requirement for Applicants to have received funding from the CEC. The past performance information requested in the solicitation has been modified for Applicant’s to provide information for current or past agreements that used public funding from the CEC and/or other public agencies. Please refer to Addendum 1 of the Solicitation Manual.Evaluation CriteriaQ41: Are there bonus points for minority owned business?A41: No. There are no preference points given based on business entity type in this solicitation. Q42: Is there any preference for the usage of renewable energy, like renewable hydrogen?A42: Renewable energy that will be integrated into the project may be described in the Project Narrative and will be evaluated under the Evaluation Criteria. With everything else being equal, projects integrating renewable energy into their projects are expected to score better under the “Economic and Environmental” and “Sustainability” evaluation criteria. Please refer to Section III.D.2., Project Narrative and Section IV.E., Evaluation Criteria of the Solicitation Manual. General questionsQ43: Can you tell us when the pre-solicitation workshop was?A43: The pre-solicitation workshop to discuss the draft solicitation concept for zero-emission transit fleet infrastructure deployment was held on April 10, 2020. Information from that workshop can be found at the following web page: . Q44: Will there be some sort of interested party webpage where transit agencies or other organizations can connect?A44: Yes. Empower Innovation is a free, networking platform to help agencies, non-profits, local governments, and start-ups connect for partnering opportunities. This network was launched and funded by the CEC and has over 1,400 members representing more than 450 organizations. To connect with others for this GFO, please visit this link: . Q45: Does this have to be a standalone project, or can it be added on to a larger project? A45: Without knowing the full details of your proposed project, it is unknown if the described project is eligible. However, the intent of GFO-20-602 is to fund the fueling infrastructure needed to support the large-scale conversion of medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission transit bus fleets. The funds under this solicitation must be used for new or upgrades to existing fueling infrastructure that will support battery electric or hydrogen fuel cell transit buses. Please refer to Section II.B. Project Requirements in the Solicitation Manual. In addition, CEQA compliance is required for every project. Applications will be evaluated on the degree to which the project has achieved compliance under the CEQA or can be completed within the timeframes specified in this solicitation which is 6 months of the release date of the NOPA (see Addendum #1). Please refer to Section IV.E.2. Project Readiness and Implementation and Section III.D.9 CEQA Worksheet.Q46: Will this type of GFO be available in 2021?A46: The CEC does not have specific plans currently to re-issue this solicitation, however, the CEC releases various grant funding opportunities each year. The CEC is currently seeking a Block Grant Recipient to design and implement a block grant project for future MD/HD infrastructure incentive projects. Additionally, each year the CEC releases an annual investment plan that determines funding allocations for the Clean Transportation Program. For additional information on the CEC’s Clean Transportation Program Investment Plans, please refer to the following link: . ................
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