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Oct 30, 2024

Tennessee leads Southeast for EV charger increase rate, study says

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Finding an electric car charger in Tennessee has become much easier in the past year, but the state still has a long road ahead to catch up to national EV trends, according

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Finding an electric car charger in Tennessee has become much easier in the past year, but the state still has a long road ahead to catch up to national EV trends, according to a new study by the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and Atlas Public Policy.

The study said TN increased its electric vehicle chargers by 61% year-over-year, the largest rate in the Southeast.

“Tennessee is looking really good in terms of its ability to be a major player in this transition to electric transportation,” Stan Cross, the electric transportation director for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy said.

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According to the study, TN has taken advantage of more than $260 million in federal funding and more than $10 million in state funding to build and expand its network of EV chargers over the years. Cross told News 2 the state also leads the region for its rollout of National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) fast chargers, which were funded through the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

“Tennessee has been deploying those chargers and it’s making a big difference, because not only do you want to be able to charge at home but you want to be able to have access when you take your car on the road,” Cross said.

The TN Dept. of Environment and Conservation has been working with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to build a network of fast EV chargers every 50 miles on highways across seven states, including TN, since 2019.

Drew Frye, manager of electric vehicle programs at the TVA told News 2 the fast charge network program will ensure EV drivers have access to fast chargers throughout the region when they’re away from home, which is where around 80% of EV charging takes place, according to the TVA.

Read the latest from the TN State Capitol Newsroom

“When we talked to consumers, they really love electric vehicles, they really love all the performance and the benefits that they bring, but there was always a question in their mind of, ‘I just don’t really know where charging stations are, and if I’m going to drive from Bristol, Tennessee to Memphis, Tennessee, how do I know I’m going to get to where I’m going?'” Frye said. “It was really about having confidence in making that decision in getting in an electric vehicle.”

News 2 previously reported the charging stations in our region will be located in Clarksville, Paris, Martin, Brownsville, Bristol, Leoma, Hohenwald, and Bean Station. The TVA is more than halfway complete with its goal of building around 80 charging stations across seven states.

The study also found a 42% increase in EV ownership in TN last year.

However, the Volunteer State still has a long road ahead to catch up to national averages, ranking 35th in the country for EV market share, or the percentage of new vehicles being purchased that are EVs, and 28th in the country for EV charging infrastructure per capita, according to the study.

“If EV was a competitive sports game, Tennessee is losing. That being said, there is growth happening,” Cross said.

Cross told News 2 like the rest of the Southeast, TN does not stand out when it comes to supportive EV legislation. The majority of the Tennessee Congressional delegation has voted against changes favoring electric vehicles, and last year, the state passed a bill from the governor to increase EV fees from $100/year to almost $275/year by 2026.

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“That’s unfortunate,” Cross said. “We do see a correlation nationwide to where there is supportive policy and where we see the market growing robustly. That being said, even without that help from favorable policy, there still is growth in Tennessee.”

To read the full report, click here.

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