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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 another opportunity to escape through a virtual ride and drive. Join us and the League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County, Florida, on a webinar to take a virtual ride in a Tesla Model 3 and see what it's like on a Driving on Sunshine test 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 below!
June 27, 12 PM ET
Video
Every year since 2009, Hands Across the Sand events have taken place across the country and around the world, including many in the Southeast. Folks joining hands in long lines at their favorite beach or other treasured place to demonstrate support for protecting our coast from the impacts of risky offshore drilling and other fossil fuels.
This year, the joining together of people will take the form of a compilation of videos and images from events over the past 11 years, from Belize to Greece, and Hawaii to New York, and from supporters of Hands.
Tune in 12 PM ET on Saturday, May 16
Sustainable Fleet Technology Conference & Expo 2020
EV Conference
The Sustainable Fleet Technology Conference 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.
Speakers and breakout session presenters at the Sustainable Fleet Technology Conference have experience and expertise to help you find and implement the best solutions for your fleet or vehicles.
Three tracks and 12 total breakout sessions will highlight 70+ experts who will share the techniques and tools that support their operations.
August 26 & 27 in Durham, North Carolina
Electric Vehicles
Whether you plug in overnight to start your day with a full charge or connect to one of the thousands of fast-charging stations across the country – charging up an electric vehicle is becoming easier all the time! Learn more about charging an electric vehicle at ElectrifyTheSouth.org!
Human health, the environment, and the economy will all benefit by making electrifying transportation a centerpiece of the global pandemic recovery. It is promising to see more drivers considering it.
Delivery vans and work trucks are just a small fraction of total vehicles on the road, yet they are one of the largest sources of air pollution in the transportation sector. That’s because these trucks travel many more miles than passenger cars. And many of them use diesel engines, which have more power but produce more pollution than gasoline engines.
A new proposal in California will strengthen a proposed first-in-the-nation rule that would force auto makers to sell more electric delivery vans and work trucks in a state with the country’s worst air quality.
Can Harley do for motorcycles what Tesla has done for cars?
The company already pledged last year to reduce its environmental impact, increasing their electric motorcycle options will help them reduce their carbon footprint even further.
Infrastructure
"SK Innovation, the Korean oil refiner pivoting into electric vehicle batteries, has announced that it will build a second factory on its site in Jackson County and increase its capital investment to $2.5 billion by the time they’re both operational in 2023. The investment is aimed at preparing for long-term growth in electric vehicles."
A Florida high school team won a math contest by modeling the optimal positioning of charging for electric semi-trucks. The problem asked teams to:
Create a model to predict what percentage of semi-trucks will be electric in the next few years and decades
Determine the number and locations of charging stations along major U.S. trucking routes that are needed for an all-electric trucking industry
Prioritize which routes should be developed with electric charging infrastructure first
Policy
Here’s a stimulus idea: Electrify mail trucks for the USPS. Electric vehicles as local delivery trucks would reduce noise, air, and carbon pollution in every community.
Are you looking to purchase an electric vehicle charger? Have you purchased one since 2016? If so, you may be eligible to take a tax deduction of up to $1,000. Congress has extended a tax credit through the end of 2020, that previously expired in 2016, allowing you to deduct 30% of the cost of the charger on your taxes, up to a $1,000 limit.
A sharp increase in teleworking has led to a sharp decline in polluting carbon emissions. As more cars start to get back on the roads, transitioning our transportation sector to electric vehicles powered by renewable energy can help keep those emissions down.