As automakers retool their factories to build electric vehicles (EVs), many more EVs will be on the roadways in the next decade. Southwest TN EMC is helping to make sure that Tennessee is ready with charging infrastructure.
On September 22, 2023, STEMC announced that it has installed two fast chargers at Freed Hardeman University’s Bulliner-Clayton Visual Arts Center Parking Lot as part of Fast Charge TN, a partnership between the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), and Seven States Power Corporation. This Fast Charge TN installation is part of the regional Fast Charge Network that will cover major travel corridors across TVA’s seven-state service area and will complement the broader efforts of the National Electric Highway Coalition, which seeks to enable long-distance EV travel by placing fast chargers along interstates and major highways throughout the United States.
STEMC expects to have the fast charger location fully operational by September 22, 2023.
“We moved quickly to participate in Fast Charge TN because we want to make it easy for people to choose EVs so our community can enjoy the economic benefits of electric transportation,” said STEMC. “The funding from TVA and TDEC makes it possible to add fast chargers in our community by providing 80% of the project cost.”
TVA and TDEC have brought together local power companies, state and local government partners, and others to pave the way for over 200,000 EVs on Tennessee Valley roads by 2028. The benefits that these EVs bring to the Tennessee Valley region are significant:
- Attracting good jobs -- $13.8 billion in EV and battery manufacturing have helped create over 10,000 EV-related jobs.
- Reducing carbon emissions from gasoline vehicles by almost 1 million metric tons per year or the equivalent of the carbon sequestered by 1 million acres of US forests in one year.
- Reinvesting $120 million in the local economy every year from electric refueling.
- Saving drivers up to $1,000 in fuel and maintenance costs every year.
“TVA is proud to partner with TDEC, other state agencies and local power companies like Southwest TN EMC to place public fast charging sites like this one across our seven-state service area because electric vehicles benefit everyone,” said Mark Yates, TVA Regional Vice President, East Region. “Taking a leadership role in EV charging infrastructure allows us to save drivers money, attract good jobs and tourism, and keep refueling dollars in local economies– all powered by electricity from TVA and your local power company.”
“Tennessee’s air is cleaner as measured by federal air quality standards than it has been in generations, and a clean environment helps drive economic development,” TDEC Deputy Commissioner Greg Young said. “TDEC is partnering with TVA and STEMC on the development of this station to continue Tennessee’s environmental and economic momentum while further entrenching our state as the epicenter of the electric vehicle transition.”
“The national trend toward EVs presents a unique opportunity for local power companies to serve their communities in a new and impactful way,” said Betsey Kirk McCall, President and CEO of Seven States Power Corporation. “Local power companies across the Tennessee Valley excel at the complex work of keeping our lights on, and by leveraging Seven States’ expertise, experience, and vendor relationships they can deploy innovative technologies, like EV chargers, with ease.”
FHU President David R. Shannon shared, “Earlier this week, I was visiting with a 98-year-old gentleman whose parents were Freed-Hardeman alumni, and he spoke of his parents riding the train to college in Henderson in 1910. Through the years, students have arrived by horse and buggy, trains, buses, planes, and automobiles. It was only a few years ago that we witnessed another first when a new student arrived in an electric vehicle.
We are thankful to join with Southwest Tennessee Electric Corporation, Tennessee Valley Authority, TDEC and Seven States Power Corporation to meet the developing needs of FHU and Henderson residents.”
“This charging location does more than charge cars - it connects Henderson to the Fast Charge Network and plays an important role in putting our region on the leading edge of the new electric economy,” said STEMC.
To learn more about the Fast Charge Network, calculate how much money an EV could save you or locate EV charging stations on your travel route, check out https://energyright.com/ev/.
Learn more about Fast Charge TN here: www.tn.gov/EVFastCharge.
