Driving Electric in Tennessee Just Got Easier
Middle Tennessee Electric connects the City of Lebanon to Fast Charge TN and regional Fast Charge Network

As automakers retool their factories to build electric vehicles (EVs), many more will be on the roadways in the next decade. Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE) is helping to make sure that Tennessee is ready with charging infrastructure.

On Wednesday, March 20, MTE announced that it has installed four fast chargers less than one mile from busy Interstate 40 exit 238 at its Lebanon office at 201 Maddox-Simpson Parkway as part of the Fast Charge TN Network, a partnership between the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), local power companies of TVA 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.
 
“MTE moved quickly to participate in Fast Charge TN because we want to make EV infrastructure easily accessible to our members. EVs provide economic and environmental benefits to the communities we serve,” said Chris Jones, president/CEO of MTE. “We’re grateful that the funding from TVA and TDEC helped make it possible to add fast chargers in our community by covering 80% of the project costs.”
 
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 these EVs bring to the Tennessee Valley region are significant, including:
Attracting high-quality jobs – $17.2 billion in EV and battery manufacturing has helped create over 14,000 EV-related jobs in the past 10 years.
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 U.S. 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 partnering with local power companies like MTE and state agencies like TDEC to invest in charging infrastructure across the Tennessee Valley region because electric vehicles benefit everyone,” said Justin Maierhofer, TVA regional vice president. “These investments allow TVA to save drivers money and attract good jobs and tourism– all powered by electricity from TVA and your local power company.”
 
The charging stations for this site were manufactured locally in Lebanon, Tennessee, by Tritium, a global company that makes DC fast chargers for electric vehicles. Tritium’s Lebanon facility opened in August 2022 and employs approximately 220 people in the community.
 
“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 MTE 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.”
 
“Seven States is trusted by local power companies across the Tennessee Valley to deliver EV charging technology for their consumers,” said Betsey Kirk McCall, President and CEO of Seven States Power Corporation. “Impactful partnerships like this benefit the local community, regional economy and global environment for years to come.”

“This charging location does more than charge cars -- it connects to Lebanon’s Fast Charge Network and plays an important role in putting our region on the leading edge of the new electric economy,” said Jones.   

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/.