Dongwha Electrolyte
Dongwha Electrolyte USA Inc. officials recently announced that the company will establish manufacturing operations in the U.S., locating its first facility in Clarksville. The company, which produces electrolytes used in lithium batteries, will open a new $70 million manufacturing plant which will create 68 good-paying jobs in the local TN battery manufacturing industry.

Tritium 
Australia-based Tritium DCFC Ltd., an EV charging infrastructure manufacturer, announced that the company will add more than 250 jobs to the anticipated workforce at its Lebanon factory. The company is one example of the surge in job announcements tied to the electric vehicle (EV) industry quickly emerging across Middle Tennessee and the entire state — including automakers, battery makers, and companies mining metals for those batteries.

Alexa Voytek, Deputy Director of Programs, Innovation & Transportation, and Communications with TDEC OEP, and Matt Meservy, Director of the Long Range Planning Division with TDOT, were recently featured on a Forbes podcast to discuss the development of Tennessee’s statewide EV charging network and to highlight key lessons and best practices learned from the State’s implementation of its allocation under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Grant Program thus far. Listen to the podcast here. 

Utilizing grant funding from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration, the City of Chattanooga plans to implement 86 new smart intersections downtown to create the largest network of its kind. The intersections, equipped with light detection and ranging sensors leveraging 3D-perception software, will be able to detect, track, and predict vehicle and pedestrian movements without invading privacy. The software further relies on machine learning with weather-filtering capabilities to analyze real-time data and predict accidents and wrong-way driving, as well as to understand traffic flow and interactions. Using this information, the city hopes to optimize routes to alleviate traffic congestion and reduce emissions. The city also hopes to use the resulting smart transportation management system to plan for and strategically place electric vehicle charging stations in busy locations and to monitor their subsequent use.

TDEC is inviting Tennesseans to submit nominations for the 2023 Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Awards, which honor outstanding accomplishments that support the protection and enhancement of Tennessee’s natural resources. Nominations are currently being accepted for the 2023 awards, which include the following categories: Agriculture and Forestry, Building Green, Clean Air, Energy and Renewable Resources, Environmental Education and Outreach, Materials Management, Natural Resources, Water Quality, Sustainable Performance, and Lifetime Achievement.

Any individual, business, organization, educational institution, or agency is eligible for nomination, provided the entity is located in Tennessee, and their associated environmental project was completed during the 2022 calendar year. A panel of judges will select award recipients based on criteria including level of project or program completion, innovation, and public education. The deadline for nominations has been extended through March 31, and winners will be announced during the summer. Contact Kathy Glapa at (615) 253-8780 or Kathy.Glapa@tn.gov with any questions.

Transitioning to fleet electrification is vital as fleets and consumers move away from carbon-intensive transportation toward alternative fuel options. The Green Transportation Summit & Expo is hosting an EV Charging in 10 Steps webinar on March 22 at 5 pm ET. In this session, attendees will learn the basics of electrification infrastructure and charging systems and walk through ten specific steps to get set up for the transition to fleet electrification. Register now.

U.S. DOE’s EVs at Scale Lab Consortium (EVs@Scale) bi-annual stakeholder meeting will be held April 5-6 at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. EVs@Scale brings together national laboratories and key stakeholders to conduct infrastructure research and development addressing challenges and barriers for high-power EV charging infrastructure to enable greater safety, grid operation reliability, and consumer confidence. Discussions will cover topics in dynamic wireless charging, cyber-physical security, vehicle-grid integration, smart charge management, and the integration of high load charging facilities with the grid.  Register now and visit the event page to learn more about EVs@Scale.

Save the date for the conclusion of the inaugural Smart Mobility Challenge on April 25. The Smart Mobility Challenge is a 10-week entrepreneurship education program that uses real intellectual property from Tennessee-based research and academic institutions to foster commercialization. The program encourages participation from university students, entrepreneurs, and everywhere in between to learn how to create a viable business. Watch as participants pitch their mock company to a panel of judges for a chance to win a grand prize.

The Federal Transit Administration recently announced the availability of nearly $1.7 billion to support state and local efforts to modernize aging transit fleets with low- and no-emission buses, renovate and construct bus facilities, and support workforce development. Made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which included historic funding to support public transportation, this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is for two programs that help transit agencies replace old buses, provide good-paying jobs, improve transit affordability and reliability, invest in community health and environmental justice, and contribute to the federal goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.

FTA’s Low or No Emission (Low-No) Program helps transit agencies buy or lease U.S.-built zero-emission and low-emission transit buses along with charging equipment and supporting facilities. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $5.5 billion over five years for the program – more than six times greater than the previous five years of funding. For Fiscal Year 2023, approximately $1.22 billion will be available for grants under this program.

FTA’s Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program supports transit agencies in buying and rehabilitating buses, vans, and related equipment and building bus facilities. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides nearly $2 billion over five years for the program. For Fiscal Year 2023, approximately $469 million for grants will be available. Both programs support buses that reduce air pollution and help meet the White House’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.

Instructions for applying and eligibility information can be found here for the Low-No Program and here for the Bus and Bus Facilities Program. Complete proposals must be submitted electronically through grants.gov by April 13. For any questions concerning this NOFO, contact ftalownobusnofo@dot.gov

TN Department of Health (TDH) has appropriated $900,000 to fund approximately 18 projects that advance health equity by creating or supporting a healthy built environment. The goal of this grant is to serve historically underserved populations, engage the target community, and work to promote the inclusivity of individuals of all abilities and backgrounds. Eligible planning projects include greenways, sidewalks, bikeways, or multi-modal transportation master plans. Both government and non-profit entities are eligible to apply, and only one application per entity is allowed.

Applicants must identify a target community where built environment improvements can advance health equity. TDH has pre-identified census tracts in the 60th percentile of the 2018 Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A map with this data can be accessed at tn.gov/SVImap. Target communities of built environment projects must be in one of the highlighted census tracts on the map.

Request for applications can be found here, and applications are due May 10.

Proposals for the Jeff Roth Cycling Foundation’s 2023 Community Grants program are being accepted through May 31. Local bicycle clubs, community bicycle programs, and other not-for-profit and nonprofit organizations are encouraged to submit proposals for projects that promote bicycling as a safe and healthy form of transportation. Projects originating at the grassroots community level have the highest probability of funding.

See the list of recipients funded in 2022 to get an idea of the diversity of projects considered eligible for funding under the Community Grants program. Grant applications and additional information are available here.

Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies (ARISE) is a new Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) initiative that aims to drive large-scale, regional economic transformation through multi-state collaborative projects across Appalachia. With the additional funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, ARC launched ARISE to strengthen Appalachian business and industry and to grow and support the development of new opportunities across multiple states.

ARISE encourages the region’s 13 states to think beyond local and state lines and to spearhead initiatives that encourage states to work together as one, united Appalachia to advance ARC’s strategic investment priorities. Applicants must highlight partnerships across multiple states and provide a plan that showcases the economic impact of the proposed project as well as how it addresses one or more of ARC’s strategic investment goals:

This Request for Proposals (RFP) includes two types of grants: Planning Grants and Implementation Grants. Project eligibility spans a wide variety of category sectors which includes planning and implementation for transportation, infrastructure, and built environment proposals.

Eligible applicants include local development districts; States, counties, cities, or other political subdivisions of a state; institutions of higher education; and public or nonprofit organizations. Projects must serve and benefit a minimum of two states within a portion of the area served by ARC, which includes certain counties in Tennessee. Concept papers and applications are currently being accepted on a rolling basis. ARC held a series of two webinars, including a pre-application workshop and an event aimed at assisting prospective applicants with developing and designing multi-state partnerships and projects. Click here to access the webinar recordings. Click here to access the full RFP to see concept paper and application requirements, additional eligibility requirements, funding caps and other funding information, and more.

The U.S. Joint Office of Energy and Transportation released a Notice of Intent (NOI) to issue a funding opportunity for its Ride and Drive Electric research and development program. This program will help address discrete barriers toward realizing a convenient, accessible, and equitable EV charging network through focused investment in EV charging reliability, resiliency, equity, and workforce development. This funding opportunity aims to advance research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RDD&D) in several areas critical to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, including reduction of weight and cost of batteries, reduction in life cycle emissions of advanced lightweight materials, reduced costs, and advanced technologies for both on- and off-road vehicle charging and infrastructure, innovative public transit solutions, and training to increase deployment of these technologies among diverse communities. Click here to access the full NOI.

According to the 50 States of EVs report by the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center, which examines state and utility policy actions on EVs last year, states and utilities prioritized financial incentives for EV charging  in 2022. The report defines actions as introduced state bills, governors’ executive orders, state rulemakings, and utility rate cases.

The Center, part of North Carolina State University’s College of Engineering, documented 790 EV actions across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The analysis sorted the actions into six categories: financial incentives, regulations, market development, deployment, rate design, and studies. The executive summary is available here.

According to Argonne National Laboratory, most battery cells and battery packs in plug-in EVs (PEVs) sold in the United States from 2010 to 2021 were domestically produced. In terms of total energy capacity in gigawatt-hours (GWh), 57% of battery cells and 84% of battery packs were produced in the United States.

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

Past Monthly Newsletters: 

February 2023

January 2023

December 2022

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.