TDEC OEP staff attended an electric truck Ride and Drive on August 27, hosted by NACARATO Truck Center in LaVergne, TN, which showcased the latest innovations in all-electric trucking. The event featured three medium- and heavy-duty vehicles: the Volvo VNR Electric, TICO Electric Yard Spotter, and Bollinger B4. The Volvo VNR Electric can complete more traditional freight trucking routes and is best suited for day-long loops where it can return to its original hub for overnight charging. With a maximum speed of 40 mph, the TICO Electric Yard Spotter is designed to transport containers around shipping yards and uses a hydraulic system to change its height to match different loading docks. The Bollinger B4 is best suited for local routes and can include add-on storage and toolbox options to meet customer needs. Each vehicle was available to be test-driven by all Ride and Drive attendees, and representatives from each company were present to provide more information on the vehicles. On Monday, September 30 at 9 am, NACARATO will hold another event, as it will be the first dealership in the nation to receive five Bollinger B4 all-electric trucks off of the assembly line. For more information, contact NACARATO Truck Center directly.

EPA is accepting applications for the 2025 Clean Air Excellence Awards to recognize and honor outstanding and innovative efforts to make progress in achieving cleaner air. Award-winning entries must directly or indirectly reduce pollutant emissions, demonstrate innovation, offer sustainable outcomes, and provide a model for others to follow. 

The five award categories for which applicants may enter a program, project, or technology are:

Applications are due October 22.

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Accessibility Guidelines for EV Charging Stations
U.S. Access Board recently published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to amend the accessibility guidelines for buildings and facilities covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 (ABA) to specifically address the accessibility of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. This proposed rule provides specifications for the accessibility of EV charging stations, including the EV charger (including physical and communication access), EV charging space, access aisles, and accessible routes. Comments will be accepted through November 4.

Request for Information on EV Charging Infrastructure for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Highway Administration and the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation recently announced a Request for Information on EV charging technologies and infrastructure needs for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. The RFI seeks input in four areas to support medium- and heavy-duty EVs:1) unique EV charger and station needs; 2) vehicle charging patterns; 3) charging technology and standardization, and 4) workforce, supply chain, and manufacturing to support charging of medium- and heavy-duty battery EVs in U.S. DOT vehicle classes four through eight, which include delivery vans, school buses, semi-tractor trucks, fire trucks, dump trucks, and tour buses. Responses will be accepted through November 12.

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit
IRS and the U.S. Department of Treasury recently issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and additional guidance on the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit, section 30C. The guidance released will provide clarity on alternative fuel vehicle refueling property investments for battery-powered EV charging and other clean fuel infrastructure such as hydrogen refueling. The section 30C provision provides a tax credit for up to 30% of the cost of installing qualified alternative fuel vehicle refueling property. Comments will be accepted through November 18.

The 2024 Tennessee Bike Walk Summit will take place in Knoxville on November 14-15. The Summit facilitates collaboration on topics including measuring the economic and health benefits of walking and biking, sharing bike and pedestrian safety trends, and showcasing innovative infrastructure design. Through a series of keynote presentations, breakout sessions, and mobile workshops, the Summit is a valuable educational and networking experience. Register for the Summit here.

The Tennessee Smart Mobility Expo will return to the Music City Center in Nashville April 2-3, 2025. Sign up here for email updates on speakers, registration details, and sponsorship opportunities.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) announced the Clean Bus Planning Awards Program (CBPA), funded by the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation (Joint Office). The CBPA program reduces barriers to zero-emission bus deployment by providing school and transit bus fleets with free technical assistance to develop comprehensive and customized fleet electrification transition plans. Fleets also have the option to receive free deployment assistance from NREL upon completion of their plan. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis through September 30.

The Joint Office released a recording of the webinar, Overview for Electric School Bus Operators, to provide operators, technicians, and other school bus fleet members with a fundamental understanding of electric school bus technology.  Find additional resources on acquiring electric school buses on the World Resources Institute’s Electric School Bus Initiative website and Drive Electric Tennessee’s TN Bus Electrification, Education and Planning (TN BEEP) website.

The Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program, administered by U.S. DOT, focuses on improving access to daily needs such as jobs, education, healthcare, food, nature, and recreation; fosters equitable development and restoration; and provides technical assistance to further these goals. Up to $607 million is available for community planning, capital construction, and technical assistance.

$457 million is available for capital construction projects to fund reconnecting-focused projects and smaller projects focused on reducing environmental harm and improving access in disadvantaged communities. Projects may address the removal of a dividing facility, enhance community connectivity, or improve access by building or improving Complete Streets.

$150 million is available for community planning projects to provide funds for planning activities to support future construction projects and allow for innovative community planning to address localized transportation challenges. Projects may address community engagement activities, planning studies to assess the feasibility of removing, retrofitting, or mitigating an existing eligible facility to reconnect communities (for example, mobility, safety, environmental and public health impacts, etc.), conceptual or preliminary engineering or design, or other needs including land-use and zoning reform, transit-oriented development, and housing supply.

Technical assistance for potential applicants is available from the Reconnecting Communities Institute. Applications are due September 30.

The U.S. DOE Office of Technology Transitions and the Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF) recently announced the TCF Open Voucher Call program to connect the public with researchers from U.S. DOE National Labs, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The program will award up to 21 vouchers for $100,000 technical assistance redeemable at one of eight U.S. DOE national labs.

Awardees will be selected based on innovative ideas and concepts for advancing energy, sustainability, or other lab-supported initiatives. Participating national labs will provide awardees with expertise and lab validation capabilities to help them advance their concept closer to commercialization. Applications are due October 3.

TDOT’s Transportation Alternatives Program funds projects that improve access and provide a better quality of life for people in Tennessee.  Examples include pedestrian and bicycle facilities, safe routes for non-drivers, the conversation of abandoned railway corridors to trails, scenic turnouts and overlooks, historic preservation and rehabilitation of historic transportation facilities, and archaeological activities.

Eligible applicants include all units of local governments. Applications are due October 4.

U.S. DOE recently announced its SuperTruck Charge funding opportunity, which will award $72 million in funding to projects that will enable the design, development, and demonstration of innovative EV charging infrastructure near key ports, distribution hubs, and major corridors in support of electrified medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.

SuperTruck Charge seeks innovative and replicable solutions to support medium- and heavy-duty EVs, accelerate charging infrastructure deployment, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Eligible entities include higher education institutions, for-profit entities, non-profit entities, state and local governmental entities, and Indian Tribes. Concept papers are due October 8, and full applications are due November 20.

EPA announced $2 billion in funding from the Inflation Reduction Act for the Community Change Grants Program. Funding is available for projects that deploy clean energy, reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity to address environmental and climate justice challenges. These place-based investments will be focused on community-driven initiatives to be responsive to community and stakeholder input.

There are two separate tracks available

Eligible applicants include partnerships between two community-based non-profit organizations and partnerships between a community-based non-profit organization and a local government, institution of higher education, or federally recognized tribe. View the Notice of Funding Opportunity and the Grants.gov page for additional information. Applications are due November 21.

The State Funding Readiness Project (SFRP) provides no-cost technical assistance to jurisdictions, including local governments, for preparing and applying for funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. SFRP can help jurisdictions identify specific investment opportunities, conduct a stakeholder mapping exercise, inform budget planning, meet Justice40 requirements, develop competitive grant applications, and strengthen linkages with administering agencies. SFRP has an open, rolling intake process and considers jurisdiction requests at any time. Learn more on the SFRP website.

The East Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition and TDEC will open applications for the Reducing Diesel Emissions for a Healthier Tennessee (RDE4HT) Program on October 1. The program is funded by the U.S. EPA Diesel Emissions Reductions Act (DERA) State Formula Grant, which provides funding to states to reduce diesel emissions.

Funding will be available in Tennessee to replace older diesel vehicles that are class 5-8 with a) new alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) that can run on propane, compressed natural gas (CNG), electricity, or that are hybrids, or b) new diesel vehicles. Any entity that owns and operates vehicles in Tennessee for a Tennessee-based fleet or fleet domicile site may apply. Additional information will be made available on the RDE4HT website. Applications will be due November 15.

U.S. DOE recently released the 2024 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER). USEER is a comprehensive study to track and understand employment within key energy sectors. The analysis shows that employment increased from 2023 across all five USEER energy technology categories, which include electric power generation, energy efficiency, fuels, motor vehicles, and transmission, distribution, and storage. In Tennessee, energy jobs increased 3.4% for a total of 7,144 jobs.

Motor vehicle jobs continue to grow, with the most rapid growth being in zero-emission vehicles. Nationwide, clean vehicle employment increased 11.4%, adding 24,826 jobs. The largest energy technology for Tennessee continued to be in motor vehicles, which employed 107,567 workers and increased by 1.5% over the past year.

Atlas Public Policy published an issue brief, Supporting the EV Charging Network of the Future, which summarizes the policy options available to local, state, and federal agencies, as well as utilities and utility regulators, to speed charging infrastructure buildout at the lowest cost. The brief provides a rundown of available policy interventions and examples from across the country.

According to the U.S. DOE Vehicle Technologies Office, a typical EV is 87%–91% efficient (after taking regenerative braking into account) compared to about 30% for a conventional gasoline vehicle, depending on the drive cycle. Energy to the wheels, the portion of the energy stored on the vehicle that is used to move the vehicle down the road, is 65%–69% and net regenerative braking recovers about 22% on the EPA combined city/highway drive cycle.

Stay updated on weekly transportation facts from the U.S. DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office by subscribing to the newsletter.

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

Past Monthly Newsletters: 

August 2024

July 2024

June 2024

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.