(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose through the 2023-2025 biennium, the department’s public-private partnership office must develop a pilot program to support clean alternative fuel car sharing programs to provide clean alternative fuel vehicle use opportunities to underserved communities and low to moderate income members of the workforce not readily served by transit or located in transportation corridors with emissions that exceed federal or state emissions standards. Nonprofit organizations or local governments, including housing authorities, with a demonstrated history of managing or implementing low-income transportation clean alternative fuel and shared mobility pilot programs are eligible to participate in this program.

(2) The department must determine specific eligibility criteria, based on the requirements of this section, the report submitted to the legislature by the Puget Sound clean air agency entitled facilitating low-income utilization of electric vehicles, and other factors relevant to increasing clean alternative fuel vehicle use in underserved and low to moderate income communities. The department may adopt rules specifying the eligibility criteria it selects.

(3) The department may conduct preliminary workshops with potential bidders and other potential partners to determine the best method of designing the pilot program.

(4) The department must include the following elements in its proposal evaluation and scoring methodology: History of successful management of equity focused clean alternative fuel vehicle projects; substantial level of involvement from community-based, equity focused organizations in the project; plan for long-term financial sustainability of the work beyond the duration of the grant period; matching resources leveraged for the project; and geographical diversity of the projects selected.

(5) After selecting successful proposals under this section, the department may provide grant funding to them. The total grant amount available per project may range from fifty thousand to two hundred thousand dollars. The grant opportunity must include possible funding of vehicles, charging or refueling station infrastructure, staff time, and any other expenses required to implement the project. No more than ten percent of grant funds may be used for administrative expenses.

(6)(a) Any property acquired with state grant funding under this section by nongovernmental participants must be used solely for program purposes and, if sold, the proceeds of the sale must be used solely for program purposes.

(b) At the termination of a program for providing alternative fuel car sharing services, the state must be reimbursed for any property acquired with state grant funding under this section that nongovernmental participants in the program retain at the time of program termination. The amount of reimbursement may under no circumstances be less than the fair market value of the property at the time of the termination of the program.

Electric vehicle battery and fuel cell adoption study—Lower income residents—2019 c 287: “(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the department of commerce must conduct a study to identify opportunities to reduce barriers to battery and fuel cell electric vehicle adoption by lower income residents of the state through the use of vehicle and infrastructure financing assistance. The study must include an assessment of opportunities to work with nonprofit lenders to facilitate vehicle purchases through the use of loan-loss reserves and rate buy downs by qualified borrowers purchasing battery and fuel cell electric vehicles that are eligible for the tax exemptions under RCW 82.08.9999 and 82.12.9999, and may address additional financing assistance opportunities identified. The study must focus on potential borrowers who are at or below eighty percent of the state median household income. The study may also address any additional opportunities identified to increase electric vehicle adoption by lower income residents of the state.

(2) The department of commerce must provide a report detailing the findings of this study to the transportation committees of the legislature by June 30, 2020, and may contract with a consultant on all or a portion of the study.” [ 2019 c 287 § 17.]

Effective date—2019 c 287: See note following RCW 82.29A.125.

Findings—Intent—2019 c 287: See note following RCW 28B.30.903.