Stan Cross
Southeastern electric vehicle sales and investments arc against headwinds
Georgia and North Carolina lead EV investment and jobs; Florida tops market share and growth; Tennessee and Alabama lag behind
Stan Cross leads the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy dynamic Electric Transportation Team.
KNOXVILLE — Misinformation about the technology and the state of the electric-vehicle market is rampant. But beyond the noise are the facts, which show that the Southeast’s EV market is zipping along.
The Southeast continues to lead the nation in electric vehicles and battery-related jobs and private-sector investments. As of the end of 2024, updated data from the fifth annual Transportation Electrification in the Southeast report found that the region is home to a whopping 38 percent of the nation’s $215 billion in announced private-sector EV and battery investments and 31 percent of the anticipated 238,000 jobs. Georgia remains No. 1 in anticipated jobs and committed investments, with North Carolina a close second.
These investments deliver economic development and employment to our region’s rural communities. Toyota’s $13.9 billion battery manufacturing facility in Randolph County, North Carolina, is at the top of the rural economic development list. The facility is expected to create 5,100 jobs and is the nation’s most valuable clean energy investment. Hyundai has made the second-largest regional investment at its battery manufacturing and EV assembly plant in Bryan County, Georgia. That investment tops $6 billion and is expected to create 3,400 jobs. It has had a massive ripple effect, with Hyundai suppliers announcing more than $2.7 billion in investments and an anticipated 6,900 jobs across the state.
Southeast electric vehicle sales increased 49 percent last year. Overall US auto sales increased only 3 percent.
Illustration courtesy of Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
Annual SACE, Atlas Public Policy data indicates rapidly escalating and enduring demand for electric vehicles in Southern U.S.
Stan Cross leads Knoxville-based Southern Alliance for Clean Energy's electric transportation policy and utility reform efforts across the Southeast.
When will the electrification of America’s cars, trucks, and buses really take off?
Imminently, if not already. Look to the Southeast, which is experiencing impressive EV market growth despite a lack of state-level EV-supportive policies, incentives and regulations.
The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and partner, Atlas Public Policy, updated key year-end indicator data from the annual “Transportation Electrification in the Southeast” report to capture regional and state-specific growth in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
This is a critical time for the expanding EV market. The pandemic has exposed global supply chain weaknesses related to auto manufacturing and battery production that can only be solved by increasing domestic production of critical materials and components.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is once again exposing the entanglement of America’s commitment to global democracy and dependency on oil for transportation, and highlighting the national security benefits of rapidly transitioning to electric mobility powered by domestic electricity.