Although the southeast US region has received 40% of the nation’s EV assembly, EV parts, EV charging infrastructure, battery manufacturing and recycling investments, and 35% of anticipated manufacturing jobs, the region is lagging behind the country in all EV indicators except for manufacturing and jobs.
The “Transportation Electrification in the Southeast” Report, released by the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, found that although the Southeast has received considerable investments, the region is lagging behind the rest of the nation in EV sales, charging station deployment, and funding.
The report attributes some of this to hostile policies in the area: Alabama and Georgia have some of the nation’s highest EV road-use taxes; Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina limit or ban EV manufacturers from selling or servicing their vehicles directly to consumers, Georgia legislators imposed a new tax on the sale of electricity at EV charging stations; and Florida’s Governor vetoed a near-unanimous bipartisan bill that would have prioritized EVs for state and local government fleets.
However, the region is still experiencing EV growth. Light-duty passenger EV sales grew 50% over the past 12 months, and charging station deployment grew 66%, according to the report. Anticipated EV manufacturing jobs in the southeast total at 65,242, growing 56% percent over the past year. Manufacturing investments grew 97% in that same time period: Hundai made a $4.3 billion investment in Georgia for battery manufacturing investments in partnership with LG Energy Solutions, and Toyota invested $5.9 billion in battery manufacturing in North Carolina.
Although lagging behind the rest of the nation, the southeast’s light-duty passenger EV market share is increasing. Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina are experiencing 7% light-duty EV market share, double the sales from two years ago. If this trend continues at the same pace, those three states could see 50% market share by 2030.
Though all Southeast states lag behind average national charging station deployment numbers, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina are all trending in line with the national growth curve. Regional DC Fast Charger ports now total 4,401 after a 60% increase year over year, and the region now has 15,036 public Level 2 charging ports, a 69% increase year over year.
Utility investment in EVs in the southeast is significantly behind the rest of the nation. The national average is $75 invested in transportation electrification per customer, whereas the Southeastern utilities range from $41 to just $3 per customer.
Similarly, state funding has been low for EVs in the southeast – the region has mainly relied on federal funding in its place. Over the past 12 months, the region has received federal funds totaling $234 million for electric transit buses, $172 million for electric school buses, and $3 million in EV-related research and development grants. The total amount of federal transportation electrification funding allocated to date is $741 million.
