It's 2023! How are your New Year's Resolutions going? Are you trying to read more? Eat healthier? Truly dance like no one's watching when your favorite song comes on at the grocery store?
Perhaps your goal is to purchase an electric vehicle this year? The IRS updated tax credits went into effect on January 1, 2023. If you're confused about which vehicles apply – especially as some vehicles are manufactured domestically vs internationally – use the Alternative Fuels Data Center VIN finder to see how much you can save when you buy an EV.
This year, amongst other goals like supporting electric transportation friendly policies, we are laser focused on understanding the swath of federal funding available now and in the future and helping local governments take advantage of these new funds to green their fleets. To that end, we are excited to release this year's update of our Electric Transportation Policy Toolkit! Our Toolkit eases the process for decision-makers to identify cost-effective, sustainable, and equitable solutions and successful strategies to accelerate electric transportation. And this year's update includes some new sections, like guidance on federal funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, of which we'll continue to watch for updates and more guidance on.
Was one of your resolutions to attend more electric transportation-focused events this year or speak out more in your community to support electric transportation? You're in luck, 2023 is already in full swing with a slate of conferences, webinars, and opportunities to raise your voice.
Whatever your goals are and where ever you are (or aren't) with them, this year, we hope you'll support our goal: to continue to equitably decarbonize the transportation sector and support healthier communities across the Southeast.
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
Electric Transportation Toolkit Update Includes New Federal Funding
The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy's 2023 Electric Transportation Toolkit update includes information about federal funding opportunities for local governments as well as case studies demonstrating innovative local government actions to increase access to electric vehicles and infrastructure. The updated Toolkit also contains expanded content related to federal funding opportunities available to local decision-makers. Read more.
Florida is scoring BIG in electric transportation wins, will Georgia play smart to catch up?
Florida is a prime example of how funds from Volkswagen's $2.7 billion settlement can be used to move states toward clean, electric transportation by taking a major step to electrify its public transportation sector. Georgia, however, isn't maximizing its remaining share of the settlement money. By using a smart approach to allocating this new funding in the most beneficial ways, Georgia could secure the state’s economic future as a hub for EV technologies and improve air quality for all Georgians. Read more.
Southeast State and Local Govt’s Stepped Up Their Electric Transportation Game in 2022
Across the Southeast, years’ worth of planning and implementation of clean transportation programs and policies are starting to bear fruit and impact our region. Local governments and state agencies that have taken the time to understand the value of transitioning to electric transportation and have taken steps to assess their communities’ needs are receiving a flux of federal dollars. With private capital also coming to the region, the economic growth in manufacturing and the adoption of electric cars, trucks, and buses in the Southeast is just getting rolling! Read more.
Get Plugged-In
North Carolina Advanced Clean Trucks Stakeholder Meetings
Event
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed an executive order to grow the state's clean energy economy by supporting the market-driven transition to zero-emission trucks and buses. Executive Order 271 directs the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to begin the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rulemaking process to ensure zero-emission trucks and buses are available for purchase in the state. The ACT rule is designed to reduce the costs of zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs) and further develop the market for these vehicles.
Your participation is needed! The DEQ has held a series of in-person and community listening sessions to receive input from stakeholders. Two stakeholder webinars on Feb. 1, 2023, will provide another forum to give input. At a final webinar on Feb. 21, DEQ will provide an overview of the input received and discuss the next steps in rulemaking. Stakeholder input will help shape the final ACT rule, including how the regulation impacts the health and prosperity of all North Carolinians and addresses the climate crisis.
Can't make a meeting? Email your thoughts to daq.publiccomments@ncdenr.gov or call 919-707-8726 and leave a voice mail. Additionally, as part of the formal rulemaking process, there will be a 60-day public comment period and public hearing during the summer of 2023.
North Carolina ACT Stakeholder Webinar
February 1| 2-4 PM Learn More + Register
North Carolina ACT Virtual Meeting
February 21|1-2:30 PM Learn More + Register
North Carolina Department of Transportation’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program Public Houses
Events
The North Carolina Department of Transportation is seeking stakeholder input to inform the deployment of the state’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program. NCDOT has scheduled a series of roundtables the week of January 30 – February 2, 2023, to provide regional forums for capturing valuable feedback on different stakeholder considerations and interests. Feedback from these meetings will be used to develop a request for information (RFI) to be released in February and will ultimately help inform the creation of NCDOT’s request for proposal (RFP) that will be used to implement the program.North Carolina will deploy $109 million worth of taxpayer-funded EV charging stations over the next five years.
How should the state spend this money to bring the most value to EV drivers? What are the state's responsibilities to ensure access to EV ownership is equitable and affordable in the long run? How can this infrastructure deployment create jobs for North Carolinians? This is your chance to weigh in on these questions and more.
NC NEVI Stakeholder Public Houses + Round tables
January 30 - February 2 | Various locations across NC Learn More + Register
Building Better Neighborhoods 2023: Save Energy Save Money Event
Modern technology provides alternatives for energy use, but what is real and what is hype? Make decisions that support living a greener lifestyle, which matches your daily needs and your pocketbook, while avoiding overspending and scams at the same time. Learn how to do that by hearing from nonprofit experts and a panel of everyday users like yourself at the city of Clearwater’s third annual sustainability conference.
This year’s free event will focus on four main topics:
energy efficiency,
solar energy for homes and small businesses,
financing, and
electric vehicles (EV) - The event will conclude with a EV car display
This free, public education event is a collaboration between the city of Clearwater’s Sustainability Division, the Clearwater Neighborhoods Coalition and the Suncoast Sierra Club.
Building Better Neighborhoods 2023: Save Energy Save Money
February 4 | 9:15-12:30 PM| Clearwater, Florida Learn More + Register
Fleet Electrification Program Webinar Series Event
Join Orlando Utilities Commission for the first part of their Fleet Electrification Program webinar series. In their first webinar, they'll offer general technical support, implementation guidance, and details for fleets on the best vehicles for fleet use, total cost of ownership, and how to install EVs successfully. This series will guide participant fleet operators through a step-by-step approach to educate, assess, and deploy EVs, with specific touch points, to emphasize customized tools for navigating each step of the process.
Please email tspencer@ouc.com, if you have questions.
Fleet Electrification Program Webinar Series
January 31 | 3-4 PM | Webinar Learn More + Register
Sustainable Georgia Future's Digital Event Event
Join Sustainable Georgia Futures on February 4 for a first-of-its-kind organizing campaign for environmental justice in Georgia. This campaign will help organizers, community partners, and organizational allies identify the environmental issues most widely and deeply felt by our community in order to create policies to address those issues in the coming year.
Sustainable Georgia Future's Digital Event
February 4 | Virtual Learn More + Register
Southeast Regional Federal Construction, Infrastructure & Environment Summit Event
The Southeast Regional Federal Construction, Infrastructure & Environment Summit brings together over 600 representatives of the Corps of Engineers, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Fort Bragg, Marine Corps Installations East, Seymour Johnson AFB, other Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps installations, US Coast Guard, Department of Veterans Affairs, General Services Administration, other federal agencies, general and specialty contractors, designers and construction suppliers from throughout the Southeast of the United States.
Attendance is encouraged for:
General and specialty contractors that work in VA, NC, SC, GA and FL.
Design firms that work in VA, NC, SC, GA and FL.
Construction supply firms that work in VA, NC, SC, GA and FL.
Companies that provide facility-support contracts in VA, NC, SC, GA and FL.
Current federal contractors seeking partners and suppliers
Southeast Regional Federal Construction, Infrastructure & Environment Summit
April 12-13 | Wilmington, NC Learn More + Register
Paving the Way
Is 2023 the year of the EV?
Experts posit that the 2022 growth in the electric vehicle market will continue into 2023. The Biden administration's clean vehicle credit was implemented at the start of the year, incentivizing anyone in the market for a new car to consider an EV. Last year was also defined as the "tipping point" for EVs, an important benchmark for their eventual widespread adoption. "Once you cross that 5 percent [of new car sales] threshold and stay above there, that's when past history of disruptive technology shows us that you start to see the beginning of exponential adoption growth," Stan Cross, the electric transportation policy director for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, explained to USA Today. Read more.
Redwood Materials announces $3.5 billion EV battery recycling plant in South Carolina
Redwood Materials, the battery recycling company founded by a former Tesla executive, announced this month that it will build a massive $3.5 billion facility in South Carolina. The 600-acre plant, which will be located just outside Charleston “in the heart of the ‘Battery Belt,’” will employ approximately 1,500 people over 10 years and will produce 100 GWh of cathode and anode components annually, Redwood said. Ground will be broken on the new factory in the first quarter of 2023, with an eye toward initiating the first recycling process by the end of the year. Redwood claims that by recycling EV batteries domestically, it can help drive down emissions and reduce global insecurity, with an eye toward reuse and recovery. The company says its operations will be “100% electric and we won’t use any fossil fuel in our processes (we will not even pull a gas line to the site).” Read more.
USPS Intends To Deploy Over 66,000 Electric Vehicles by 2028, Making One of the Largest Electric Vehicle Fleets in the Nation
In December 2022, the United States Postal Service announced that it expects to acquire at least 66,000 battery electric delivery vehicles as part of its 106,000 vehicle acquisition plan for deliveries between now and 2028. The vehicles purchased as part of this anticipated plan will begin to replace the Postal Service’s aging delivery fleet of over 220,000 vehicles. The Postal Service anticipates at least 60,000 Next Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDV), of which at least 75% (45,000) will be battery electric. As part of this plan, a total of 21,000 additional commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) vehicles are also expected to be battery electric, depending on market availability and operational feasibility. The Postal Service also anticipates including internal combustion vehicles necessary to meet immediate vehicle replacement needs.Read more.
The U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization The recently released U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization (Blueprint) is a roadmap for how we can address issues surrounding the climate crisis to provide better transportation options, expand affordable and accessible options to improve efficiency, and transition to zero-emission vehicles and fuels and eliminate nearly all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transportation sector by 2050. The Blueprint offers a whole-of-government approach to transform the transportation sector and sets forth an interagency call to action to coordinate and work effectively together. Achieving goals will require close cooperation with industry, local, regional, state, and Tribal governments, non-profits, and other stakeholder groups, as well as allies around the world. Read more.
Environmental Justice Impacts of Zero Emission Vehicles New research from Forth Mobility, the ZEV Alliance, ICF, and Cenex aims to highlight the existing disparity in zero emissions vehicle ownership, quantify the environmental benefits of ZEVs, and provide policy and program recommendations that various government agencies can implement to enhance the EJ outcomes of their ZEV policies. Read the report.
$210 Billion of Announced Investments in Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Headed for the U.S.
As the electric vehicle market continues to heat up, automakers are going all in on electrification. Vehicle manufacturers and battery makers plan to invest $860 billion globally by 2030 in the transition to EVs. Nearly a quarter, $210 billion, is expected to be invested in the United States, more than in any other country. This is based on a recent analysis by Atlas Public Policy and supported by the Natural Resources Defense Council includes information from press releases, company earnings reports, and other public resources to tally EV investments from the private sector and track where those investments are expected to be made. Read more.
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 and feature photos from events SACE has participated in across the region.
Sheridan Gemuendt, Sustainability and Resilience Administrator at City of Largo
This month we're featuring former Sustainability Coordinator for Clearwater, Florida, Sheridan Gemuendt (Boyle).
"We relied heavily on nonprofit partners such as the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy to increase our knowledge of green fleet planning and gain access to policies from other municipalities. The city also examined the success that the cities of Orlando, Winter Park and Largo have had with incorporating hybrid and electric vehicles into their fleets. A fleet policy from the city of Charlotte, N.C., was used as a model policy for Clearwater’s green fleet policy."
Sheridan worked with our team and utilized our Electric Transportation Policy Toolkit to help electrify her city's fleet. If you're interested in greening your communities fleet, please contact us.
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