Rural MACOG Communities Receive Funding to Pilot Electric Vehicles

MARSHALL COUNTY, IN – The Indiana Office of Energy Development awarded four local governments including Marshall County, City of Plymouth, 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.

City of Plymouth in Marshall County 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 to Centenntial 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.

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.

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 contribute $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.

MACOG and the designated Clean Cities coalition organization Drive Clean Indiana will assist with implementing and tracking the success of the projects to capture lessons learned and best practices for future local government fleet electrification projects.

“MACOG has been supporting our local governments in analyzing clean transportation options and pursuing grants since 2017. After 7 years, the technology has finally evolved to a point that electric vehicles have both sufficient range and performance even for police departments in our smallest towns in rural northern Indiana. This cohort of grantees will demonstrate if EVs work here even in winter and the financial benefits,” said James Turnwald MACOG Executive Director.

"Nappanee is pleased to have been selected by the state for this competitive award. We look forward to rigorously testing these vehicles to evaluate how the technology works for our operations. With the grant covering 100% of the project costs, we're able to try something new without the financial risk of using city funds," said City of Nappanee Mayor Phil Jenkins.

“We have been following the Town of Bargersville which now has about 13 electric vehicles out of 18 in their police department, since acquiring their first Tesla in 2019. The Bargersville experience has demonstrated that electric vehicles offer a significant financial savings which is critical for small towns,” said Walkerton Police Chief Matt Schalliol.

“We are excited to announce our selection of these communities and their thoughtful proposals outlined in their applications,” said Ryan Hadley, executive director of the Indiana Office of Energy Development. “Innovative local ideas are essential for impactful energy solutions. Everyone benefits from practical, creative concepts.”

The City of Goshen secured $153,075 for an energy efficiency project without MACOG assistance, bringing the total for the MACOG region to over $732,000 or about 50% of funds awarded statewide. For the IN OED press release and a full list of awardees in Indiana, click here.

"Phil Buckmaster with the Town of Walkerton inspects a Chevy Blazer EV displayed by Tom Naquin, following the announcement of Walkerton's award for a Blazer EV for police service at MACOG's Partners for Clean Air Luncheon in April."