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Tennessee plans statewide DC fast charging network IPT Group acquires Primove wireless charging technology
Image courtesy of TVA
Six major utilities team up to build comprehensive DC fast charging network
Six of the eastern US’s largest major utilities have announced a plan to develop a seamless network of DC fast charging stations connecting major highway systems from the Atlantic Coast through the Midwest and South, and into the Gulf and Central Plains regions. e newly-formed Electric Highway Coalition is made up of American Electric Power, Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, Entergy, Southern Company and the Tennessee Valley Authority. e utilities are all taking steps to expand EV charging solutions within their service territories. e goal of the e ort is to provide drivers with convenient charging options that enable long distance EV travel. Coalition members are considering sites along major highway routes with easy highway access and amenities for travelers. e aim is to get drivers charged and back on the road in approximately 20-30 minutes. e coalition says that other utilities are welcome to join the group and extend the reach of the network.
“ is is one of many strategic partnerships that TVA is building to increase the number of electric vehicles to well over 200,000 in the Tennessee Valley by 2028,” said TVA CEO Je Lyash. “EV adoption will spur jobs and economic investment in the region, keep refueling dollars in the local economy, reduce the region’s largest source of carbon emissions, and save drivers and businesses money.”
e Tennessee Valley Authority and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation have partnered to develop a statewide fast charging network. e plan is to add approximately 50 new charging locations, one every 50 miles, along Tennessee’s Interstates and major highways. ere are currently about 24 public fast charging locations in the state that support both the CCS and CHAdeMO charging standards.
TVA says it will work with local power companies to deploy charging stations close to major highways, with access to amenities that drivers expect.
Ryan Stanton, a spokesman for the state of Tennessee, told Electrek that the rst chargers should be operational by 2022, and the state hopes to complete the entire project by 2023-2024. e project is expected to cost about $20 million. Approximately $5 million will come from the state’s Volkswagen Diesel Settlement Environmental Mitigation allocation, and the remainder will be funded by TVA, other program partners, and program participant cost shares.
TVA, a federally owned corporation, is the country’s largest power provider, serving 10 million customers in 7 states. e company is not exactly considered an environmental leader. e Sierra Club recently listed TVA among many utilities that are “trying to greenwash their climate commitments,” and gave the company an F grade for its climate pledges. According to the Sierra Club, TVA has only committed to retire 17% of its coal plants by 2030, and is planning to add large amounts of new fossil fuel generation. e agency recently con rmed plans to build six new natural gas plants, in direct de ance of President Biden’s call to achieve net zero emissions in the power sector by 2035.
However, we’ll take our victories where we can get them—the Sierra Club expressed support for TVA’s EV charging project. “It’s vital for the electric utility sector to invest in EV programs, so TVA’s commitment is an important rst step to moving EVs into the fast lane of adoption, especially in a region that’s quickly becoming an important electric vehicle manufacturing hub,” said the Sierra Club’s Jonathan Levenshus.
