Image courtesy of Tri-County Electric. 

Tri-County Electric, in collaboration with TDEC, TVA, and Tennessee Tech University, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the installation of a Fast Charge station in Lafayette, TN. This announcement signifies the establishment of the most recent of 39 operational charging sites in Tennessee under the Fast Charge TN Network Program. Across the full Tennessee Valley (parts of seven states, including Tennessee), the joint effort by TDEC and TVA has thus far resulted in the installation of a total of 168 fast chargers at 61 sites. The launch of the Lafayette site brings Tennessee closer to realizing the goal to build out a network of fast charging stations every 50 miles along the state's interstates and major highways.

The Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Awards (GESA) are presented annually by TDEC to recognize outstanding achievements by individuals, local governments, businesses, organizations, educational institutions, and agencies for successful environmental projects and conservation measures. Award winners were recently announced for 2025. The Clean Air and Transportation Solutions category winner was Averitt, a transportation and logistics company. Averitt eliminated over 290 million pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) in 2024 alone, the equivalent of removing 30,000 passenger vehicles from the road for an entire year. Since becoming a founding member of the EPA SmartWay program in 2004, Averitt has reduced more than 689 million pounds of CO2 through its investments in technology and innovation. Learn more about Averitt’s efficiency measures and all category winners in the 2025 GESA winners press releases.

The Tennessee AI Advisory Council's mission is to provide a collaborative source of knowledge, expertise, and information sharing to advance the State of Tennessee’s use of AI technologies in an ethical, adaptable, collaborative, and beneficial modality for all Tennesseans. The Council has created a short survey to assess how businesses in Tennessee are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) for their operations and services. Survey responses will help inform the Council’s recommendations for sound policies and strategies regarding AI use and adoption. Survey responses are due by October 14.

Image courtesy of Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.

Governor Lee, the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, and MAHLE, an automotive industry supplier, recently announced that the company will expand its manufacturing operations in Morristown. MAHLE will invest more than $10 million and create nearly 50 additional jobs in Hamblen County. Upon completion, the project will support electric compressor production for next-generation hybrids and electric vehicles (EVs).

The National Complete Streets Coalition, a program of Smart Growth America, defines Complete Streets as an approach to planning, design, building, operating, and maintaining streets that enables safe access for all people who use them. Since the launch of the Coalition in 2004, 1,700 Complete Streets policies have been adopted across the U.S. for communities to develop new transportation solutions that meet the needs of all users, including people walking, cycling, taking transit, and driving. This year, Nashville’s policy was ranked as the second-best complete street policy in the U.S. out of the 43 policies adopted between 2023 and 2024, behind only San Antonio. According to the report, which evaluates these new Complete Streets policies, Nashville showed persistence and continual improvement in implementing its policies. 

The RNG Coalition, the trade association and advocate for North America's Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) industry, will host the RNG Works Technical Workshop and Trade Expo in Nashville, September 23-25. The event aims to educate, demonstrate, and promote RNG industry best practices, for the purpose of helping realize sustainable development, deployment, and utilization of RNG and other renewable gas (Biogas, C02, RH2), to achieve greater energy reliability and improve access to clean, renewable fuel, heat, power, and products. View the agenda here.

The Southeast Hydrogen Energy Alliance will host the webinar Autonomous Hydrogen: By Sea and By Air on September 24 at 10:00 AM Central. The webinar will provide information on autonomous aeronautic and marine hydrogen technologies being developed for military and commercial use.

Tennessee Clean Fuels and Drive Electric Tennessee will celebrate National Drive Electric Month, a nationwide celebration to raise awareness of the many benefits of all-electric and plug-in vehicles, across the state. Events in Tennessee include:

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Research Institute and the Center for Urban Informatics and Progress will host the Chattanooga Connect 2025 conference from October 6 – 8. At the event, industry leaders, policymakers, and researchers will explore the latest advancements in policy, digital infrastructure, AI, connected and automated vehicles, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technologies, and quantum technologies. Attendees will learn about the transformative potential of quantum computing and quantum sensing in revolutionizing transportation. View the agenda here.

The 2025 Forth Roadmap Conference, an annual event that convenes leaders in the electric transportation space, will take place October 14-16 in Detroit, MI. The conference will allow attendees to forge relationships and gain valuable insights in a highly interactive format from industry and community leaders, including utilities, local governments, vehicle original equipment manufacturers, charging providers, technology startups, public interest groups, and communities. Sessions will focus on multiple topics, including vehicles, charging, community impact, and networking and connection opportunities.

Image courtesy of the Tennessee Trucking Association.

The Tennessee Department of Safety and the Tennessee Trucking Association will host the Greenville Roadside Scales Event on October 29 at the Greenville Scales, I-81 South, Mile Marker 21. Attendees will learn how vehicles are selected for inspection and what determines inspection levels. They will also be able to observe checks on paperwork, log records, and equipment in real time, gaining valuable insights into roadside inspections and procedures.

The Tennessee Drone and Advanced Air Mobility Symposium will be held in Nashville on November 12-13. Hosted by the Tennessee Department of Transportation and Vanderbilt University, the event brings together leaders from government, industry, academia, and research to discuss how drones and advanced air mobility can be safely and effectively integrated into Tennessee’s communities and economy. This year’s theme, Connected Skies, Empowered Communities: A Future Built on Collaboration and Innovation, will include speakers sharing practical insights, innovative trends, and strategic ideas shaping the future of drones and advanced air mobility. View the agenda here.

The Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council (TAEBC) will host its annual Opportunities in Energy event on November 19 in downtown Knoxville. The event will bring together TNEAC members and stakeholders to discuss all new and upcoming “opportunities” in the advanced energy sector, including trends, businesses, technologies, and other exciting developments.

The 19th annual International Biomass Conference & Expo will be held in Nashville from March 31 to April 2, 2026. The event unites industry professionals from all sectors of the world’s interconnected biomass utilization industries: biobased power, thermal energy, fuels, and chemicals.

Organized by BBI International and produced by Biomass Magazine, this event brings current and future producers of bioenergy and biobased products together with waste generators, energy crop growers, municipal leaders, utility executives, technology providers, equipment manufacturers, project developers, investors, and policy makers. 

Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has opened applications for the 2025 Transportation Planning Grant (TPG) program. TPG is intended to assist jurisdictions (both municipalities and counties) with transportation planning efforts that determine strategies to support improvements in traffic flow, safety, mobility, and overall efficiency of the transportation system. The maximum award amount is $250,000, and the required local match is 10% of the award amount. For awards to economically distressed and at-risk counties or communities within those counties, the program will require a 0% local match for an award.

Planning opportunities include, but are not limited to:

All Tennessee cities and counties are eligible to apply. Applications are due October 31.

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) recently announced the launch of the Innovation & Research for Industry Success (IRIS) Grant Program, which aims to enhance and facilitate partnerships between private industry and the state’s leading research institutions. The grant program will encourage companies to pilot innovative technologies and pursue new discoveries within the state, which, in turn, will facilitate collaborations that highlight the strength of Tennessee’s research capabilities and foster long-term corporate investment in the state’s innovation ecosystem.

Applications for the inaugural round of IRIS funding are open and will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

The Company Lab (CO.LAB) is accepting applications for its Sustainable Mobility Accelerator. This opportunity is for startups revolutionizing the movement of people, goods, energy, and data who are looking to gain funding, mentorship, and access to a cutting-edge mobility ecosystem. Applications are open.

The Chevron Truck Demo Program provides no-cost, short-term demos of certain heavy-duty compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks to qualified customers interested in exploring CNG. The demo can help customers experience how similar natural gas vehicles are to diesel vehicles in terms of drivability, power, and range, with a demo period of up to 18 days. The cost of the CNG fuel is also included with the truck demo. Learn more about the program here and contact Jared Rifenbary on how to get involved at jared.rifenbary@chevron.com. 

East Tennessee Clean Fuels and Drive Electric TN launched the Charging Smart Program in 2024 to accelerate EV adoption across Tennessee. This program is designed by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) to support communities across Tennessee in the deployment of EV infrastructure. Funded by U.S. DOE, the program provides personalized, no-cost technical assistance and a nationally recognized designation system to help local governments align their policies with national best practices for EV adoption. Interested local governments in Tennessee can learn more and express their interest in participating by filling out the interest form available here.

Atlas Public Policy and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy recently released the sixth annual Transportation Electrification in the Southeast report. The report examines data from June 2024 through June 2025 for six states across the Southeast (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee) across six market indicators: manufacturing investments; anticipated jobs; EV sales; charging infrastructure deployment; utility investments; and public funding. The EV Momentum in Tennessee factsheet notes that Tennessee is number one in the region for public funding per capita for EVs, highlighting the TDEC VW funding for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. The factsheet also notes that companies have announced nearly $17.6 billion in investments for EV and battery manufacturing in the state.

Governor Lee and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) are recognizing September 2025 as Preparedness Month with a commitment to helping all Tennesseans become “Ready to Recover” from emergencies and disasters. National Preparedness Month, a component of the Ready Campaign spearheaded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, reminds everyone that preparing for emergencies and disasters can keep them, their families, and their communities safe.

Additionally, TEMA is launching the ReadyTN Business Program, a no-cost preparedness initiative to help businesses across all industries strengthen their readiness and resilience. The program features a digital toolkit available on the TEMA website, offering step-by-step guidance and resources. While the program supports businesses in preparing for and recovering from hazards, it does not replace insurance or serve as a complete business continuity plan. Instead, it provides a strong starting point for organizations to build their emergency preparedness strategy.

Visit TEMA’s Ready to Recover website for more 2025 Preparedness Month information, events, and resources.

TEMA encourages all individuals and communities to take protective steps in readiness planning. More information on how to prepare can be found at www.tn.gov/tema/prepare, with resources such as a family communication plan template and a basic emergency supplies checklist.

Visit the TDEC Office of Energy Programs Website at http://www.tn.gov/environment/energy.

Past Monthly Newsletters: 

August 2025

July 2025

June 2025

For more information or to submit an idea for a future Monthly Transportation Edition, contact:

Audrey Jackson, Communications Officer
TDEC Office of Energy Programs
615-917-6683 or audrey.jackson@tn.gov

OR

Alexa Voytek, Deputy Director, OEP Programs
U.S. DOE State Energy Program / Innovation & Transportation / Communications
TDEC Office of Energy Programs
 615-613-1096 or alexa.voytek@tn.gov

OR

Mark Finlay, Senior Energy Analyst, TDEC Office of Energy Programs
615-772-6011 or mark.finlay@tn.gov

Acknowledgement: This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under the State Energy Program Award Number DE-EE0009487

Disclaimer: This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government.  Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof.