Electric Futures Raleigh Engages Community at Juneteenth Celebration

On June 20, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and EVHybridNoire joined local groups Southeast Raleigh Promise and Partners for Environmental Justice at a Juneteenth celebration at the Southeast Raleigh YMCA. Alongside the food, fitness, and entertainment, project staff talked with residents about electric vehicles and gathered input for a survey on EV needs and transportation barriers in the community.

The event is part of Electric Futures Raleigh, a two-year effort launched last year to shape how Raleigh's transportation goes electric, with residents having a direct say in the plan. Through surveys, focus groups, and town halls, organizers are collecting input on electric vehicles, charging access, and job opportunities in the EV field. That feedback is meant to guide the city's own electrification plans, which matter because transportation makes up about 52% of Raleigh's greenhouse gas emissions. The city has a goal of cutting emissions 80% by 2050.

For homeowners, this is mostly a heads-up that Raleigh's approach to EV charging and clean transportation is still being shaped with community input, rather than a change you need to act on now. If you live in the area and want a voice in decisions about charging stations, workforce programs, or other EV infrastructure, this initiative is the kind of effort where that input is being collected. The broader context: North Carolina already ranks ninth nationally in clean energy jobs, and a $13.9 billion Toyota battery plant is coming to nearby Randolph County, signs that EV infrastructure and support in the region may keep expanding.