With plans to deploy approximately 2,500 residential, commercial and DC fast charging stations, The EV Project will provide nearly 425 miles of connected EV infrastructure in Tennessee. Working closely with the TVA, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and other regional stakeholders, ECOtality applied its innovative EV Micro-Climate™ process to Tennessee to determine the most effective way to install a rich charging station infrastructure that would encourage consumer EV adoption in three major cities—Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga—and along the three transportation corridors linking them.
“Tennessee is the first state to take the electric vehicle beyond its 100-mile radius. With these plans completed, the state of Tennessee will emerge as a leader in EV adoption, and serve as a critical blueprint for how best to connect major population areas with EV infrastructure,” said Jonathan Read, CEO of ECOtality, Inc. “We are thankful for the input TVA and our partners in each city have provided throughout the planning process. We are taking a smart and strategic approach to the deployment of EV infrastructure so as to best create a connected, highly functional EV charging network.”
“There’s a groundswell of enthusiasm for electric vehicles that has taken hold not only in the Tennessee Valley Authority, but throughout the entire state as a result of The EV Project,” said Kim Greene, TVA Group president of Strategy and External Relations. “TVA has been fortunate to play an instrumental role in bringing together all the stakeholders to start mapping out the future of electric transportation in Tennessee. The lessons we learn through the EV Project will help TVA and local power companies better meet the growing needs of electricity as a transportation fuel here in the Tennessee Valley and share those lessons with communities throughout the nation.”
As part of the planning process, ECOtality took into account the locations of major regional employers, transportation corridors, commercial centers and area attractions to determine the project’s charging footprint in Tennessee. Moving forward, the documents will serve as the basis for ongoing stakeholder engagement and site selection.
‘This project will bring exciting, pace-setting change to our local region, and we are pleased to join our partners in leading its deployment,” said Dana Christensen, Associate Laboratory Director, Energy & Engineering Sciences, for Oak Ridge National Laboratory. “Electric vehicles represent one of many approaches that ORNL, along with DOE, is pursuing to reduce the lab’s carbon footprint and meet the nation’s energy and environment challenges.’
As the project manager for The EV Project, ECOtality North America is overseeing the rollout of the largest deployment of EV infrastructure ever in the United States. The $230 million public-private initiative is funded with a $114.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The project encompasses 16 cities in six states, as well as Washington, D.C., and will install more than 15,000 charging stations.
“The operational and commercial lessons we learn in Tennessee will be applied to electric vehicle charging networks nationwide,” said Don Karner, President of ECOtality North America. “By serving as a living laboratory, Tennessee will provide invaluable information that will prove essential to encouraging the mass consumer adoption of electric vehicles.”
The planning documents will be discussed at 2 PM during “Spotlight: The EV Project.” Additional details and the conference agenda can be found here.
ECOtality, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECTY), headquartered in San Francisco, California, is a leader in clean electric transportation and storage technologies. Through innovation, acquisitions, and strategic partnerships, ECOtality accelerates the market applicability of advanced electric technologies to replace carbon-based fuels.
