Officials from California's Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF) announced that more than 90 percent of funds from its Hybrid Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP) have been requested since the program was launched four months ago. HVIP is funded by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and operated by CALSTART, HTUF's parent organization.

HVIP began accepting voucher requests for shares of its $20 million fund in February 2010. More than 600 commercial hybrid trucks and buses have since been ordered, resulting in a 30 percent increase in national hybrid volumes, according to CALSTART. The program was designed to address the single biggest barrier for fleet purchase of medium- and heavy-duty hybrids: the high incremental cost of these vehicles in the early market years, when production volumes are still low.

Fleets that take advantage of the program use a simplified purchase voucher to offset about half the incremental additional cost of eligible hybrid medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. To apply, fleet managers must request a voucher via their dealers at the time of order. The HVIP vouchers range from $10,000 to $45,000 for the purchase of an eligible new hybrid truck or bus.

To learn more about the program and view a list of qualified vehicles, visit http://www.californiahvip.org.