EV Initiatives

BEEP • I-40 • TEVI • DEUSA • DOE Clean Cities • EMPOWER • Medium Duty eTruck • Rural Reimagined • NFPA Workshops

TN BEEP Partnership

The TN BEEP (Bus Electrification, Education and Planning) partnership is providing no-cost education and assistance services to school district leadership and fleet management personnel in Tennessee. Significant funding is coming through the EPA over the next five years and this partnership can help any districts that want to “make the switch” to electric or other alternative-fuel school buses.

For more information, please visit the TN BEEP page.

EMPOWER

  • EMPOWER = “Equitable Mobility Powering Opportunities for Workplace Electrification Readiness”
  • Build a nationwide, sustainable Workplace Charging Program
    • Significant partners include: Clean Cities coalitions across the country, and many utilities
    • An informative website will be the centerpiece while partners across 30 states will tackle direct outreach to employers
  • Goals: by the end of Year 3, have signed up 3,500 workplaces that have committed to install workplace charging equipment, and have 650 completed installations (In TN, that equals 80 workplaces reached, 25 EVSE installs)
  • Strong Energy & Environmental Justice component: 40% of all outreach must occur within underserved communities – including rural areas – or at employers that benefit those communities
  • In Tennessee, we are providing no-cost assistance to businesses/workplaces to help you understand the costs and options for choosing to install workplace charging units, and what the benefits are of doing so! Follow that link and fill out the “Interest Survey” to get started!

Medium Duty eTruck — www.MDeTruck.com

  • Project lead: Tennessee Tech University
  • Two-state project (Tennessee & Texas) to allow fleets to borrow an electric step van for up to two months!
    • Step Van: Manufactured by Xos in Tennessee
  • Funds are available to help install the needed Level 2 charging at businesses
  • Project will provide needed data to DOE on charging, routing, and fleet needs in order to be able to utilize more electric trucks in the future
  • In order to participate, fleets simply have to sign-up to reserve the truck

Rural Reimagined — www.rural-reimagined.com

  • Project lead: Tennessee Tech University
  • The objective of this DOE-funded project is to build the underpinnings of a comprehensive EV ecosystem and green economy in the most economically distressed Appalachian regions to bring the opportunity of electric vehicles to rural and low-income communities through strong regional collaboration
  • Borrow a a) Ford Lightning XLT or b) Chevy Bolt EUV for a week at no cost! We will help you determine how best to charge the vehicle while borrowed and offer a variety of adapters to help you be able to charge at home.
  • Participating states: Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia – our efforts focus on the counties in Tennessee
  • This project aims to provide clean and affordable mobility options to underserved communities by developing needed charging infrastructure, and adopting and demonstrating various cost-effective EVs in diverse applications
  • By partnering with a broad set of EV stakeholders, this project aims to create outreach, training, and education opportunities to residents in rural and low-income Appalachian communities to kick-start electric vehicle adoption and clean-energy job opportunities where it is needed most

Tennessee Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (TEVI) Development Plan

  • The TEVI Deployment Plan outlines a multi-year infrastructure development strategy that will enable current and future drivers of EVs to confidently travel from one end of the state to another.  
  • The Project Team will prioritize initial use of NEVI funds to satisfy the 50-mile maximum distance requirement from FHWA to achieve Corridor Ready status for all FHWA-designated AFCs in Tennessee before evaluating alternate use cases and locations for infrastructure development. 
  • The plan is still in its early phases, but is moving along well 
  • DET worked with TDOT to develop the criteria for siting stations

Drive Electric USA

  • DOE-funded grant awarded in 2019 (project began in 2020)
  • Partnership across 14 states to develop statewide, branded EV initiatives
  • Clean Cities Coalition leaders partner with electric utilities, state agencies, NGOs, municipalities and more to develop sustainable partnerships to advance EV efforts into the foreseeable future
  • Seven “Priority Areas” of work that are deemed the most important barriers to EV purchasing:
    1. Building statewide, branded initiatives – Develop a statewide Roadmap or Plan
    2. Consumer Education & Chapter Development
    3. Engaging Electric Utilities & Regulators
    4. EV Charging Infrastructure and Planning
    5. Educating State & Local Government Officials
    6. Dealer Engagement – Develop “Certified EV Dealer” Programs
    7. Fleet Engagement & EV Adoption

Drive Electric USA 2

  • Project is being converted into a Program by seeking external funding for long-term development across even more states
  • Submitted grant to DOE in early November 2022
  • 12 additional states committed to joining the original 14

DOE Clean Cities Coalition

  • Clean Cities coalitions support the nation’s energy and economic security by building partnerships to advance affordable domestic transportation fuels, energy efficient mobility systems, and other fuel-saving technologies and practices
  • Coalitions serve as the foundation of Clean Cities by implementing transportation projects in communities across the country
  • Fosters community-based partnerships through local coalitions that work with stakeholders such as vehicle fleets, utilities, local governments, fuel providers, equipment manufacturers, and community organizations
  • Funding from the CCC is being used for the following projects:
    • Driving EV Leadership
    • Green Fleet Planning
    • Outreach, Awareness, Training, and Education
    • AFV Incentive and Grant Coordination Efforts
    • Vehicle and Station cost tracking

NFPA Electric Vehicle Community Preparedness

  • Joint partnership between the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and Clean Cities coalitions
  • Ready for EVs workshops have been created to help your community come together, discuss, and create a plan for a new world of EVs
  • These workshops seek to gather a diverse selection of local community leaders in the interests of developing a plan to accelerate EV adoption

I-40 Implementation Project

  • The I-40 Alternative Fuel Corridor study was initiated in 2019 to plan for the deployment of alternative vehicle fueling and charging facilities along the interstate corridor, spanning from Wilmington, North Carolina through Tennessee and Arkansas; DET worked with TDOT on the project
  • The study focused exclusively on compressed natural gas (CNG) and electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure along the I-40 corridor, bringing together agencies and stakeholders across all three states to provide regional insight and expertise on the current and future deployment of EV and CNG stations, as well as available funding sources and constraints
  •  A corridor-ready EV segment has at least one 50-kilowatt (kW) public direct current fast charging (DCFC) station located every 50 miles, complete with both J1772 combo (CCS) and CHAdeMO connectors; all qualifying stations must be within five driving miles of the designated route
  • Current status: Expanding funding to all FHWA designated Alt-Fuels corridors in TN