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 Oct. 21, 2022. Applications received after Oct. 21 will be accepted but the equipment or dealer may not be approved and listed in time for the opening of the program. For more information or to learn how to participate, visit www.californiacore.org and go to “How To Participate.”

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.”