Many US states have adopted a pro-sustainability credo, including North Carolina, which has recently put numbers behind its efforts and sees a strong boost to its economy and jobs growth from clean energy and energy efficiency businesses, including the move to electric vehicles.
In the past 12 months, the state has seen a 47% increase in electric vehicle registrations. This boost followed plans by Toyota, VinFast and Wolfspeed to invest many billions in manufacturing related to EVs. Vinfast of Vietnam will bring its first US-based EV manufacturing facility to Chatham County, while Toyota’s project is devoted to EV battery manufacturing. The two projects anticipate nearly 10,000 new jobs.
Those big manufacturing plans preceded passage of last year’s Inflation Reduction Act, which has recently come under fire as a waste of taxpayer dollars. The IRA includes a $7,500 tax rebate for the purchase of a qualifying EV, which state officials have tied to North Carlina’s greater interest in purchasing EVs.
Since the passage of the IRA, the state also sees a boost in components companies locating in states near North Carolina wishing to take advantage of proximity to manufacturing. Such investments “really demonstrate the value proposition for clean energy jobs,” said Jennifer Mundt, assistant secretary of Clean Energy Economic Development in the state’s Department of Commerce. She spoke in an interview with Fierce Electronics.
Source : Fierce
