An injection of federal funding will pay a substantial portion of the installation cost for 30 electric vehicle fast-charging stations across the state to plug gaps in the network along Tennessee interstates and U.S. Highway 64.
The funding is part of $21 million in federal dollars issued by the state’s Department of Transportation and Department of Environment and Conservation for charging station projects in the Chattanooga region, including Franklin, Marion and McMinn counties, according to a state news release. The freeway project sites are along Interstates 24, 75, 40, 65, 81 and 26, while there are 10 sites along Highway 64 between Monteagle and Memphis.
“Maintaining a clean environment is critical to Tennessee’s continued economic success,” David Salyers, commissioner of Environment and Conservation, said in the release. “We are pleased to join TDOT in making the most of this opportunity, and we look forward to how it will benefit Tennessee’s environment and its citizens.”
In Round 1 of the funding awards, the Chattanooga region got money for three projects, including a charging station project in Marion County on I-24 at the Love’s Travel Stop & Country Store at Exit 158 for TVA’s Nickajack Dam and Powells Crossroads, officials said in the release. The project cost is about $1.3 million, with federal funds providing $630,000 of the price tag, while the rest — 51% — comes from private investment by Love’s.
Another Chattanooga region charging station project at the Pilot Travel Center at I-75’s Exit 56 for Niota received about $614,000 in federal funding, matched by a $303,000 investment — 31% — by Pilot for a project cost of about $917,000, according to state officials.
The last Chattanooga region site is in Franklin County’s Belvidere on U.S. Highway 64 and will be operated by Universal EV LLC — which received $576,000 in funding — at the Trolley Rock Truck Stop, using a 31% private match of about $259,000 for a project cost of about $835,000, according to state officials.
In Niota, the project will add four charging ports to the existing Pilot station site, said Andrea Noel, program supervisor for TDOT’s air quality planning office. In Marion County, four charging ports will be added to the existing Love’s location along I-24. The charging station in Franklin County on Highway 64 will be operated by funding recipient Universal EV LLC at the existing Shell service station.
The news release stated 31 sites were funded, but a site near Jackson will be funded in the next round, Noel said in a phone call.
A map showing project locations is relatively sparse in the Chattanooga area but for a good reason, Noel said.
“We already had existing stations,” she said, noting new project sites will benefit from the latest charger technology. “Most of the chargers out there now are level two chargers, and this award requires a level three charger which people call a ‘fast charger.'”
Federal funding through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program allocated $88 million for Tennessee over five years. TDOT and TDEC solicited applications for the grant funding, and 167 responses were received from 23 different applicants, comprised of both public and private entities, the release states. Ten of those applicants will be awarded contracts to establish 30 new charging locations throughout the state. The award recipients will purchase, install, own, operate, maintain and report on the program-funded EV charging infrastructure.
“In Tennessee, federal investments made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are deploying EV chargers and building out a national network of EV chargers that is convenient, reliable and made in America,” Shailen Bhatt, federal highway administrator, said in the release. “Today’s announcement builds on the administration’s promise to deliver a national network of 500,000 publicly available EV chargers by 2030 – a goal we’re on track to achieve.”
This latest effort to expand the charging station footprint helps answer growing demand for charging stations along the state’s major routes, said Alex Strong, state coordinator for Drive Electric Tennessee. The organization is a statewide electric vehicle and EV charging infrastructure awareness and implementation program managed by nonprofit East Tennessee Clean Fuels.
“This is a really great funding resource and a great opportunity to fill alternative fuel corridor gaps so that we have the ability to cross our whole state in electric vehicles, east to west and north to south,” Strong said in a phone interview. “I think they put a lot of work into filling as many gaps as efficiently as possible while keeping in mind the needs across the state.”
The funding formula requires a match of at least 20% of the federal funds. For this round of awards totaling over $31 million, private funding accounts for 32%, more than $10 million in private funding for EV charging stations in Tennessee. Other requirements include EV charging stations being located every 50 miles along the federally designated alternative fuel corridors, within 1-mile travel distance from the corridor, and having a minimum of four charging ports per location.
“Tennessee has shown true leadership in state agency coordination between TDOT and TDEC, sharing expertise and building a strong foundation for the state’s EV charging network,” Gabe Klein, executive director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, said in the release. “The Joint Office is proud to provide technical support to ensure these 30 fast charging locations provide a frictionless experience for users.”
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com
