Summer is in full swing, but we're already looking ahead to this fall when classes will be back in session and kids across the country will pile into school buses – many of which are diesel and threaten our children's health. There's an immense windfall of government funding available right now to transition these polluting buses to quieter and healthier electric ones. Lately, much of our work has consisted of connecting with school districts and utilities across the region to ensure decision-makers understand the funding opportunities available to them, including the Clean School Bus Rebate Program.
Until applications for the program close on August 19, we'll continuing to engage with school districts and utility providers on how they can engage together and strategically take advantage of this program funding. And we're grateful to our partners at WRI for their data source to help us in these conversations. Please, get in touch if you'd like guidance taking advantage of these funds.
When looking at EV indicators in Georgia from our "Transportation Electrification in the Southeast" year-end update published in collaboration with Atlas Public Policy, the Peach State excels across multiple fronts. As of December 2021, the state was second in the Southeast for EV sales (Florida being #1), but a new toolkit from our partners at Drawdown Georgia aims to boost their numbers. The toolkit breaks down questions ranging from basic EV education to tax credits and incentives available.
All measures include medium- and heavy-duty EVs, except for sales which refers exclusively to passenger EVs. EV manufacturing employment and investment represent commitments made to specific facilities in the state. Utility investment refers to investor-owned utilities only. To understand EV Sales and charging deployment in a national context, please read our report.
As we continue to track the progress of electric transportation growth in the Southeast and beyond, we remain grateful for our readers who stay connected to us and others on Facebook and Twitter. To receive these newsletters in your inbox, click here to sign up!
Charging Forward,
Dory Larsen
Powering the EV Movement
Wondering About Electric Vehicles In Georgia? This Toolkit Is For You
Even if you are familiar with the benefits of going electric, purchasing an EV for the first time can seem intimidating. That’s why Drawdown Georgia created a toolkit in partnership with the us at the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy to answer common questions about electric vehicles and make it easy to upgrade to an electric car or truck. This resource provides easy-to-understand, actionable information about EVs and connects readers to additional links and information as well. Read more.
Secretary Granholm and Rep. Castor Discuss Opportunities with Local EV Proponents
On June 2, SACE's Dory Larsen had the unique opportunity to engage in a roundtable discussion between the U.S. Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, local entities, and the leadership of the University of South Florida Center for Urban Transportation Research. Conversations between federal and local officials offer a welcomed opportunity to identify what is being done and what is needed to support an efficient, equitable and effective outlay of federal bipartisan infrastructure dollars. Read more.
Get Plugged-In
Sustainable Fleets & Technology Conference & Expo 2022
Event
The 2022 Sustainable Fleet Technology Conference & Expo showcases the latest and greatest in advanced vehicles, fuels, and technologies — including data-driven solutions. This conference is a source of on-the-ground experience for increasing fleet efficiency and sustainability while reducing emissions and costs. The two-day in-person conference, August 31 and September 1, 2022, will be at the Durham Convention Center in Durham, NC, with pre-conference events taking place on August 30.
Attendees can expect to learn and share about:
Alternative Fuels (including biofuels, CNG, electric, propane, and renewable diesel)
Advanced Vehicle Technologies
Motor Fleet Management
Vehicle Sharing Technologies
Idle Reduction
Vehicle Right Sizing
Eco-Driving
Autonomous Vehicles & Future Technologies
Who should attend?
Public & Private Fleet Managers
Purchasing Officials
State Government Leaders
Municipal Government Officials
Non-Profit Stakeholders
Clean Cities Coalitions & Stakeholders
Alternative Fuel Trade Organizations
Sustainability Managers
Academic Leaders & Researchers
Sustainable Fleet Technology Conference & Expo 2022
August 30 – September 1 | Durham, North Carolina RSVP
Clean School Bus Rebate Program
Learn More and Apply
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021 authorizes Environmental Protection Agency to offer rebates to replace existing school buses with clean and zero-emission (ZE) models. The 2022 Clean School Bus (CSB) Rebates process includes SAM.gov account registration, application submission, review and selection by EPA, purchase order submission and request for payment, payment receipt, new bus delivery and old bus replacement, and close out. The program guidance and application process differ from prior EPA school bus rebate programs in many ways. Learn more about it and apply below.
Clean School Bus Rebate Program Learn more and apply before August 19,2022
Paving the Way
The State of Electric School Bus Adoption in the US
More than 20 million children ride the bus to school, and 92-95% of these school buses run on diesel. Diesel exhaust pollution, a known carcinogen, has proven links to serious physical health issues as well as cognitive development impacts. Evidence increasingly suggests that children are especially susceptible to these impacts, and daily exposure contributes to asthma and respiratory diseases. School districts and fleet operators have now committed 12,275 electric school buses in 38 states. That’s more than 10,000 electric school buses since the release of the World Resource Institute’s January 2022 dataset, and almost a 10-fold increase since WRI began tracking electric school bus adoption in August 2021. Read more.
Carbon dioxide emissions can be reported by sector to measure who is burning fossil fuels, thus contributing to emissions. The latest "Tracking Decarbonization in the Southeast" report from us at SACE, shows the two largest contributors are electric utilities and transportation. Coal or gas is burned in power plants run by utilities in the electric power sector, while gasoline and diesel are used for transportation. Utilities can decarbonize by replacing fossil fuels with zero-carbon energy sources like wind, solar, storage, and energy efficiency. Other sectors, like the transportation sector, can electrify and– switch from direct fossil fuel use to charging with electricity instead. These two strategies, along with many others, can help drastically reduce climate-change causing carbon emissions. Read more.
'A solid floor': How new rules could remake EV charging The nation’s electric vehicle charging stations might become more reliable and easier to use thanks to new government rules. The joint office of energy and transportation has released their 180 day guidance for NEVI – the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure formula grant program that splits $5 billion across states to build out a national EV charging network. The new guidelines start to dictate how states can spend the $7.5 billion of federal money approved in last year’s bipartisan infrastructure law for electric vehicle charging. NEVI is setting standards to make the experience for consumers streamlined and transparent. Read three takeaways from new federal guidelines outlining how states can spend billions of dollars from last year’s bipartisan infrastructure law for electric vehicle charging. Read more.
Equity and EVs: A List in Progress
Atlas Public Policy has compiled a list of programs for light duty vehicles that take equity into account. This list is not exhaustive but provides a useful snapshot of equity focused programs led by state and local governments. There is also a list of reports and resources to complement this list. Read more.
Readers and Partners Kicking Gas
Every month we'll spotlight stories and photos from YOU, our readers, about how EVs play a role in your world. To be featured in an upcoming ETS newsletter, send us an email here! We'll also highlight our partners and allies from our testimonials page.
Alex and Solomon, Knoxville, TN
"Why drive electric? It just makes life more fun!"
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