Last weekend, folks came together in 14 different coastal communities in the Southeast, and 40 nationwide, for Hands Across the Sands events to make a statement that we need clean energy and electric vehicles, not risky offshore drilling! Rather than invest in offshore drilling, which is costly and harmful to our environment, we need to accelerate the transition to clean energy and electric transportation on state, national, and global levels.
Offshore drilling is risky to our environment and coastal tourism economy. Please consider supporting SACE’s work to defend our region’s precious coastline from offshore drilling by making a donation to our Annual Campaign today!
Turning our attention to North Carolina, electric transportation planning is hitting high gear, but the climb remains steep. As shown in our "Transportation Electrification in the Southeast" year-end update published in collaboration with Atlas Public Policy, North Carolina isn't leading in the Southeast yet, but it is making strides across a number of electric transportation indicators toward a zero-emission transportation future.
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.
North Carolina's DOT Clean Transportation Plan is a critical next step for North Carolinians, the success of which requires government accountability and our collective participation. Additionally, in this month's newsletter, we note encouraging signs of progress with electric transportation policies in Florida and manufacturing investments in Georgia.
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
Americans should embrace electric vehicles to free ourselves from petrol dictators, enhance national security, reduce fuel costs for consumers, address the climate crisis, and put an end to hazardous offshore drilling. Our transportation systems can run on clean, renewable, domestically-sourced energy, the benefits of doing so are numerous. Read more.
On May 10, the Leon County Board of County Commissioners adopted an ordinance enhancing electric vehicle charging station infrastructure and EV parking requirements. Leon County – which contains Florida’s state capital, Tallahassee – is the latest municipality to pass an EV-Ready policy, one of the most cost-effective strategies to increase infrastructure and enable access to home charging for more community members. Read more.
North Carolina has the opportunity to create an actionable plan that will guide the state toward a zero-emission transportation future in support of a transformative decarbonized economy. The state has made strides across a number of electric transportation indicators but remains far from the goals of 1,250,000 zero-emission vehicles by 2030. The steep climb out of our fossil-fuel-dependent past will challenge every sector of the economy, political office, agency, and consumer. Like any challenging climb, success comes from taking one step after another. North Carolina's Clean Transportation Plan is a critical next step for the state, the success of which requires government accountability and our collective participation. Read more.
Get Plugged-In
North Carolina Clean Transportation Plan
Survey
NCDOT requests input from all stakeholders on a variety of topics related to clean transportation. Information from this survey will be aggregated and used to inform future public information sessions, workgroup action plans and the final Clean Transportation Plan report. By working with stakeholders, the N.C. Clean Transportation Plan will outline the near-term strategies North Carolina can use to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase the use of zero-emission vehicles, advance environmental justice and create good-paying jobs tied to clean transportation.
North Carolina Clean Transportation Plan Take the Survey
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
Take Charge: Electric School Bus Infrastructure
Webinar
In partnership with Clean Energy Works, the Alliance for Electric School Buses and WRI’s Electric School Bus Initiative invite you to join us for a webinar focused on electric school bus infrastructure. Learn how school districts and electric utilities can effectively partner on charger selection and installation, infrastructure upgrades, and interconnection agreements. We’ll also discuss options such as managed charging and vehicle-to-grid technologies. Panelists will share best practices and helpful tools for productive district-utility partnerships.
Take Charge: Electric School Bus Infrastructure
June 15, 2022 | 2 PM Register
Paving the Way
South Korean automotive giant Hyundai Motor Group recently confirmed plans to build a roughly $5.5 billion electric vehicle assembly and battery plant near Savannah that eventually could employ about 8,100 workers. It is the second major electric vehicle factory announcement in Georgia since December as state economic development officials try to turn the Peach State into an important manufacturing hub for battery-powered automobiles. Hyundai officials said they will break ground in 2023 and start production in 2025 with capacity for 300,000 EVs a year. Read more.
We at the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) congratulate the Florida Department of Transportation team on being recognized as a thought leader by the Fast Company for their work on the state's EV Infrastructure Master Plan. The plan was developed through a broad transparent process administered by Florida DOT that engaged relevant stakeholders, including the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) in a year-long effort. Read more.
Zeroing in on Healthy Air The American Lung Association (Lung Association)’s Zeroing in on Healthy Air assessment unpacks the public health and economic consequences of pollution from transportation and electricity generation and the opportunities to solve these pollution problems. The Lung Association’s assessment confirms the public health impact of emissions from car, truck, and bus tailpipes and power plant smokestacks — underscoring what we already know: that breathing polluted air costs us money, makes us sicker, and causes us to die sooner. Read the report and our interview with Will Barrett, Lung Association’s National Senior Director for Clean Air Advocacy and the assessment’s lead author.
Leaders from several Pinellas County communities, including Clearwater, Largo and Madeira Beach, and from nonprofit organizations such as the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and Oceana, recently converged on Indian Rocks Beach for the annual Hands Across the Sand event. Hands Across the Sand began more than a decade ago in the Florida Panhandle area in response to the BP oil spill and has grown into an international effort. The aim is to promote awareness of environmental issues and clean energy topics such as electric-powered transport and solar power. 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.
Alexa Voytek, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
"SACE's contributions to the Drive Electric TN's Local Government Action Plan has been extremely valuable, particularly SACE's Policy Toolkit."
Our Electric Transportation Toolkit makes it easier for decision-makers to identify cost-effective, sustainable, and equitable solutions and successful strategies to accelerate electric transportation. The Toolkit curates best-practice local government EV policies and actions from around the country with links to real-world examples.