Tennessee’s proposed network of charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) will feature stations every 50 miles along Tennessee intestates and major highways, according to information issued this week.
The new detail of the system was unveiled as the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the Tennessee Department of Environment signed a partnership agreement to build it. This initiative would add about 50 new charging locations, doubling the number of locations in the existing charging network.
The project is expected to cost $20 million. TDEC has committed $5 million from the state’s Volkswagen Diesel Settlement Environmental Mitigation allocation. The remainder of the project will be funded by TVA and other program partners.
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
Only 24 fast-charging stations across Tennessee are now open to all consumers and support all charging standards common to electric vehicles, according to TVA and TDEC. Now, nearly 80 Tennessee cities have charging stations, according to ChargeHub. Memphis has 113 charging stations and 52 of them (46 percent) offer free charging. Nashville has 325 stations, Knoxville has 107, and Chattanooga has 101, according to the website.
The fast-charging system agreement comes after the TVA board approved a new commercial rate structure just for EV charging stations in November. The vote was intended to support the expansion of EV charging infrastructure across the region, removing a big barrier for consumers to, perhaps, buy more EVs.
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
That barrier is commonly called “range anxiety.” It’s the worry that an EV’s battery will run out before the owner makes their destination or finds another charging station. Upgrading the state’s charging infrastructure is also expect to battle range anxiety.
“Through this partnership, TVA is positioned to be a national leader in electric transportation by making it easier for local power companies to install fast charging stations, which make electric vehicles an easy choice for consumers to make,” said TVA president and CEO Jeff Lyash.
Read the entire agreement here:
[pdf-1]
