SACRAMENTO – The California Air Resources Board today announced the opening of a new funding category offered through its Clean Off-Road Equipment Voucher Incentive Project (CORE), which will make point-of-sale discount vouchers available for zero-emission professional landscape service equipment. This new funding category, administered by CALSTART, has an allocation of over $27 million of voucher funds for professional landscape services operated by small businesses or sole proprietors.

Before voucher funding can be made available to these small businesses, manufacturers are invited now to submit an equipment eligibility application for the new program. Once evaluated and approved, the zero-emission equipment will be listed on the CORE website as eligible for purchase using a discount voucher. Moreover, dealers interested in selling professional landscape equipment through CORE can also visit the CORE website to schedule required training.

Those interested in participating in the CORE project as an eligible professional landscape service manufacturer or approved dealer will need to apply by October 21, 2022. Applications received after October 21 will be accepted but the equipment or dealer may not be approved and listed in time for the opening of the program. If you are considering participating in the CORE project, make sure to get your application in on time. For manufacturer and dealer participation information, go to How To Participate.

Professional landscape service equipment accounts for a significant percentage of greenhouse gas emissions, and creates considerable noise pollution in the communities in which they’re operated. This new voucher incentive — set to open up for applications in November — will help offset the initial purchase cost of alternative zero-emission equipment.

The types of zero-emission professional landscaping equipment eligible for CORE vouchers include:

• Edgers
• String Trimmers
• Hedgers
• Chain- and pole saws
• Handheld blowers and vacuums
• Backpack blowers and vacuums
• Walk-behind mowers
• Ride-on/stand-ride mowers
• Chargers
• Power management equipment
• Batteries <700Wh
• Batteries ≥700Wh

“Professional landscapers often operate on very tight profit margins and can find it challenging to upgrade to new technology,” said Jacob Whitson, CALSTART’s lead project manager, “CORE’s new landscape voucher incentives will allow them to more easily adopt zero-emission professional equipment for their businesses, while in turn encouraging manufacturers to expand their offerings in this market.”

First announced in 2020, CORE incentives were initially offered only to freight-handling businesses and fleets. Starting in 2022, CORE expanded to include the commercial harbor craft, agriculture and construction sectors in addition to the newly opened landscaping arena.

CORE is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, improving public health and the environment, and providing meaningful benefits to the most disadvantaged communities, low-income communities, and low-income households.

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About CALSTART

A national nonprofit consortium with offices in New York, Michigan, Colorado, California, Washington, D.C., central Europe and partners world-wide, CALSTART works with 300+ member company and agency innovators to build a prosperous, efficient and clean high-tech transportation industry. We knock down barriers to modernization and the adoption of clean vehicles. CALSTART is changing transportation for good.