The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) has released its seventh annual Electrify the South Electric Transportation Toolkit for Local Governments, a critical resource designed to accelerate electric vehicle (EV) adoption across the U.S. Southeast. This latest iteration arrives as the region experienced a robust 38% annual growth in EV sales in 2024, underscoring the urgent need for scalable, effective municipal strategies to support this expansion. The Toolkit serves as a comprehensive compendium of successful policies, actions, and practical examples implemented by peer local governments, aiming to provide actionable blueprints for communities seeking to advance their transportation electrification goals.

The 2025 Toolkit is meticulously organized into key thematic areas, including Funding, Outreach, Community Planning, Regulation, Charging, Fleets, Utility Engagement, Comprehensive Planning, and State Actions. Its design as a collection of hyperlinked fact sheets enhances user accessibility, allowing local government staff to easily navigate and extract relevant information, best practices, and supporting resources. This structured approach ensures that municipalities can quickly identify and adapt strategies tailored to their specific needs and challenges.

Notable updates in the 2025 Toolkit reflect evolving industry best practices and emerging priorities. The city of Atlanta, Georgia, is highlighted for its updated EV Ready Ordinance, which now uniquely integrates EV-ready infrastructure requirements with site-level fire safety provisions into a unified development policy. This pioneering approach addresses critical safety considerations for a rapidly expanding EV fleet. Furthermore, the Toolkit introduces new safety resources, offering guidance on education, training, and policy development to mitigate risks associated with EV technology.

Key additions also include the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) EVI-LOCATE Tool, a sophisticated design instrument that assists users in developing comprehensive EV charging station deployment plans, from layout to cost estimation. The City of Boynton Beach, Florida's Energy Edge Program, which provides rebates for EV supply equipment installations, exemplifies successful local funding initiatives. The Carolina Carshare program in Charlotte, North Carolina, showcases an innovative membership-based, all-electric car-sharing service, promoting shared mobility. Additionally, the Charging Smart Program offers free technical assistance to help local governments adopt policies for efficient EV charger expansion, leading to national recognition for EV-friendly communities. The Toolkit also examines policies enabling low-cost residential EV charging by allowing cords in the public right-of-way, addressing a common barrier to home charging.

These updates collectively empower local governments with the tools and knowledge necessary to build resilient, accessible, and safe EV ecosystems. SACE continues to offer one-on-one consultations and fosters collaboration through the Electrify the South Collaborative, connecting municipalities to collectively achieve their transportation electrification objectives.