E-bike Rebate Programs and 5 Other Local Signs of Progress in the Southeast

A handful of Southeast cities and counties are moving on energy projects worth knowing about, especially if you live nearby. In Chatham County, Georgia, rising utility bills (up 30% in three years) have pushed officials to target high-energy-use public buildings, like the civil rights museum and aquatic center, for efficiency upgrades, from new light bulbs to bigger retrofits. Tallahassee opened its first flagship EV charging station near Florida A&M University, with two more planned, part of the city's goal to run on 100% clean energy by 2050. Loretto, Tennessee is converting all its streetlights to LED, including at its ball fields, to cut maintenance costs.

Atlanta's e-bike rebate program, which gave past recipients $500 to $2,000 toward a standard or cargo e-bike, is back for another round. Riders who got the earlier rebates cut their weekly driving by 40%, and the 12 participating bike shops saw sales jump by $1.2 million. If you're in the Atlanta area, this could be worth watching for when the next round opens.

Alpharetta, Georgia added four EV fast chargers at its police headquarters, capable of delivering about 200 miles of range in 15 minutes; they're open to the public, not just patrol cars. And in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area, public transit ridership jumped 32% in April as gas prices rose, with free rides available to some riders based on income or benefit status.