By Eric Curl
Aug. 31, 2025 (update) – On Aug. 26, the CAT board again amended the Lo-No grant applications being sought for new buses. Instead of using the funds to purchase 18 “clean diesel” buses, as approved on July 29, CAT will now be using the grant revenue to acquire 10 hybrid-electric vehicles. The latest amendment was necessary because the FTA informed CAT, following the July vote, that the diesel vehicles actually did not qualify for the grant funding and offered CAT the opportunity to revise the request, according to CAT officials. The grants were originally supposed to fund the purchase of 10 fully electric powered buses, but the board amended the applications to “better address immediate operational needs,” as delays in EV deliveries and limits on charging infrastructure have made vehicles unavailable for service.
Aug. 26, 2025 CAT Board meeting agenda>
Aug. 4, 2025 (original story) – Chatham Area Transit is tapping the brakes on its electric vehicle ambitions for a bit and turning back towards “clean diesel” buses for its fixed-route operations.
CAT’s board voted last week to amend federal grant applications to “better address immediate operational needs,” as delays in EV deliveries and limits on charging infrastructure have made vehicles unavailable for service.
Awarded in 2022 and 2024, almost $13.4 million in Low or No Emissions (Lo-No) grant funding will now go towards the purchase of 18 diesel powered buses rather than 10 electric buses and six chargers.
The change comes after recent federal guidance allowed grantees to amend their Lo-No grants to support the purchase of alternative fuel vehicles, including diesel, in addition to electric vehicles and infrastructure, according to interim CEO Stephanie Cutter.
“So, we are just trying to be very creative in getting buses in,” Cutter told the board during the July 29 meeting.
About 46% of CAT’s buses have exceed their useful life of 500,000 miles and the adjustment will provide more buses at a lower cost to replace those ageing vehicles during a period of constrained vehicle availability and infrastructure readiness, according to CAT officials.
“Amending the application will provide the flexibility needed to maintain service levels by adding reliable diesel buses, while simultaneously allowing time to expand charging infrastructure and upgrade scheduling software to account for electric vehicle charging requirements,” the July 29 meeting agenda report said. “CAT remains committed to a long-term zero-emission fleet and will update its Zero Emission Transition Plan to reflect a phased and realistic approach aligned with current resources and technology readiness.”
The acquisition of electric buses is now scheduled to resume in 2028, with the full transition now expected to be completed by 2038 instead of 2035, according to the updated plan.
To further speed up the delivery and avoid having to put out a request for bids, CAT will be piggybacking off a bus acquisition contract with Washington state.
In addition, four gasoline powered mini-buses for routes with lower ridership are expected to arrive in late September.
About “Clean Diesel”
The FTA interprets “clean diesel” to mean diesel engines certified to meet EPA’s heavy-duty engine emissions standards for model-years 2007 and later. Clean diesel isn’t zero‑emission—it still produces CO₂ and some pollutant emissions, albeit much less than pre‑2007 diesel, as described in this article by Scientific American.
The FAQ section of FTA’s low-no grant page had apparently not been updated. As of Aug. 2, it states that clean diesel buses are not eligible for the Lo-No program because eligibility is tied to the bus’s engine/propulsion type.
“As buses that use biodiesel or clean diesel are still capable of operating on standard diesel fuel, the buses are not eligible under the program,” the website states.
CAT deployed its current electric buses in 2022 after acquiring six GILLIG battery-powered vehicles, according to this press release.
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