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Danbury accepts $184,000 FAA grant to buy electric vehicles for municipal airport
Summary
Council authorized acceptance of an FAA grant (about $184,000) for electric vehicles at the Danbury Municipal Airport with a city match of $18,400 and a small contract with Hoyle Tanner to administer the grant; airport administrator said two SUVs (Volkswagen ID.4 likely) will replace maintenance and police-explorer vehicles and two chargers will be installed for on-site use.
The Danbury City Council on Sept. 5 authorized the acceptance of an FAA grant to purchase electric vehicles for the Danbury Municipal Airport and approved a small contract for grant administration.
The council received a communication asking permission to accept an FAA grant for roughly $184,000 to buy new electric vehicles, with a required city share of 10 percent ($18,400). The communication also asked the council to authorize Hoyle Tanner & Associates to administer the grant at a city cost of $1,650.
Airport Administrator Michael Safranick described plans to purchase two, possibly three, electric SUVs to replace a maintenance vehicle and a vehicle currently used as a police explorer. "We're looking at, 2 SUVs...the Volkswagen ID 4 is what we are thinking that's gonna be a low bid," he said. Safranick said the procurement required careful review for 'Buy America' content and that the consultant would handle bid specifications, FAA interactions and closeouts.
Council members asked whether chargers were included; Safranick said chargers require 240V, 40-amp circuits and that the grant did not include the chargers but that the airport would install charging infrastructure on-site for the vehicles (one charger at maintenance and one at the admin building). He estimated the battery life of modern EVs in service could be roughly a decade but said long-term lifespans remain uncertain.
Council approved the grant acceptance, the Hoyle Tanner contract and ratified previous actions related to the grant by voice vote. The airport staff said they expected to proceed to bid and open bids in roughly two weeks once the grant paperwork is signed.
The council heard general support for expanding EV fleet usage where appropriate, with one councilmember noting airport vehicle usage is largely on-site and thus well suited to EVs.
