Jersey City seeks $1M NJDEP grant to electrify Via fleet; tri-party deal needed for chargers on private lot

Mike Mandela, director of transportation planning, told the caucus the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection awarded Jersey City $1 million to install EV charging infrastructure to electrify the city’s Via Jersey City pilot fleet. The funding was a remainder of a 2022 award that originally totaled $1.6 million and was intended to reimburse Via operations and pay for charging equipment.

Mandela said the city previously used $600,000 to reimburse Via and proposed using the remaining $1 million to buy chargers so the Via fleet can transition to all-electric vehicles. He also asked the council to authorize a tri-party agreement with a private property owner to install chargers on the owner’s lot; Via plans to move from its current Iggy Lot into a leased private lot and wants assurance that charging infrastructure will be permitted there before signing a lease.

Councilmembers asked whether chargers would be restricted to Via vehicles; Mandela said the DEP grant conditions allow chargers only for the Via fleet under this award, although the city expects to pursue community charging grants separately. A councilmember raised resilience concerns about an all-electric fleet in a power outage; Mandela said the city is developing microgrids and renewable backups and that Via vehicles would not need daily charging, allowing some operational buffer.

Mandela also updated the council on a request for a DOT extension for the Manhattan Avenue–Franklin Street bikeways grant: he said DOT had requested checklist items and recommended pursuing one final six-month extension to preserve the award while the city completes required submissions.

No formal council vote to accept the DEP grant or authorize the tri-party agreement occurred during caucus; both items were presented for the next council agenda.