ECOtality, Inc. (NASDAQ: ECTY) today reveals details for nearly 425 miles of connected electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure in Tennessee.
Planning documents are to be discussed during a panel at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) Fuels Solution Forum.
With plans to deploy approximately 2,500 residential, commercial and DC fast charging stations, The EV Project–connecting–Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga–will be one of the first of its size in the U.S.
ECOtality worked with the TVA, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and other regional stakeholders to determine the most effective way to install a charging station infrastructure to encourage consumer EV adoption in these cities and along the transportation corridors linking them.
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.
“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.
As the project manager for The EV Project, ECOtality North America is overseeing a major rollout of of EV infrastructure 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.”