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Events
Electrify The South and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy are following scientific guidelines to keep our staff and communities safe as we work to transform how our region produces and consumes energy during the COVID-19 pandemic. While we continue to believe that first-hand driving opportunities are important to help people understand and experience electric vehicles, we have suspended ride and drive events for the time being. We are looking down the road at possible events and welcome your ideas or suggestions.
Driving On Sunshine Virtual Test Drive
Webinar
Wanna get away? During this time of social distancing, we're offering you a few chances to escape through a virtual ride and drive. Join us on a webinar to take a virtual ride in a Tesla Model 3 and see what it's like on a Driving on Sunshine drive. We'll highlight the features of the car, talk about the benefits of driving electric, and have time for a live-audience question and answer session. Register for one of three dates below!
April 23rd: bit.ly/DOSVirtualLunch
April 29th: bit.ly/DOSVirtualAfterHours
May 9th: bit.ly/DOSVirtualWeekend
Webinar
On April 21, join Forth Mobility for a discussion on the unique roles cities play in advancing transportation electrification. Attendees include SACE Electric Transportation Program Coordinator, Dory Larsen and others. RSVP, here.
Facebook Live
Plug In America, the Sierra Club, and Electric Auto Association are hosting a live virtual event on Earth Day, honoring clean electric vehicles and their positive impact on our planet’s health. RSVP for the the April 22 event.
Webinar
Next Wednesday, April 22, join Tesla Owners Club Atlanta, EV Club of the South, EV Hybrid Noire, and Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance for a virtual Earth Day celebration and conversation discussing the benefits of EVs to our planet and public health. Register, here.
Electric Vehicles
While traditional combustion-engine cars require trips to a gas station, an electric vehicle can be charged anywhere there’s an electrical outlet! Learn more at ElectrifyTheSouth.org!
Electric Vehicle owners: Check out this video from Inside EVs on best practices for keeping your EV healthy and 'happy' while it sits idle.
General Motors and Honda are joining forces to develop two new electric vehicles. They’ll have Honda nameplates but will be built using GM’s newly announced flexible EV platform with its Ultium-branded improved battery packs. They will be manufactured at GM’s North American plants, with sales expected to begin in the 2024 model year.
With your electric car parked for extended times, what's the best strategy for not damaging the battery? Check out these tips and check your owners manual for best practices.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory released the 2019 US energy flowcharts. The big takeaway for transportation: internal combustion engines are only 25% efficient meaning 75% of every gallon on gas burned winds up wasted as engine heat and exhaust. Whereas EVs are upwards of 90% efficient. That means that if we replaced internal combustion engines with electric motors, we would need to generate a lot less energy to power the same amount of transportation. And as we transition away from coal towards cleaner energy options like renewables, less energy is wasted at the power plant making EVs solid energy security, climate, and air pollution solutions.
Infrastructure
VW has started deploying its new electric car charging stations with giant integrated batteries to help manage the power demand of the stations and keep them online in case of a power outage. We'd like to see the next batch of stations in the US!
Tesla and Neoen, the owner of the Tesla Powerpack farm in Australia that has been described as the “world’s biggest battery”, have completed a massive expansion of the big battery system.
Policy
A new UK survey suggests that the coronavirus is making consumers more aware of the environment — and therefore more inclined to buy an electric car. The firm found that 45% of respondents were considering buying an EV after seeing how clear the air can be. An additional 17% had already decided to buy an electric car and are even now more certain about their decision. That makes 62% of UK consumers in that UK survey ready to go electric.
The Trump administration’s rollback of clean car and fuel economy standards makes the US weaker economically by increasing gasoline bills, cutting jobs, stifling innovation, and threatening public health.