TDEC and Drive Electric TN staff outside the Fleet Electrification Workshop with an electric van.

In January, TDEC, in partnership with the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), hosted a freight electrification planning workshop. A diverse group of stakeholders participated in the workshop, including state government; local power companies; trucking industry stakeholders, including dealers, fleets, and suppliers; local governments; charging providers; charger repair and maintenance companies; national labs; Clean Cities and Communities Coalitions; higher education; and nonprofit subject matter experts.

As Drive Electric TN works to refresh its Tennessee Roadmap for Electric Vehicles, the initiative plans to include new goals and projects related to medium- and heavy-duty vehicle electrification. For more information and to be added to the email list to receive notice of future freight electrification workshops or planning sessions, please contact Kaitlyn Jauch at Kaitlyn.jauch@tn.gov. 

Governor Lee celebrated a ribbon cutting in January for Duksan Electera’s new $95 million facility in Shelbyville. The company’s first North American facility will manufacture electrolytes for batteries used by automakers in the southeast. The new facility will provide over 100 jobs and is expected to supply roughly 60,000 tons of electrolytes, which are battery components that transfer ions between a battery's two electrodes in lithium-ion batteries.

EV Driver Survey
Drive Electric TN and TN Clean Fuels are undertaking a large-scale survey of EV owners across Tennessee. EV owner data is integral to understanding how Tennessee's electric transportation landscape is changing. The data provided will be anonymized and will not be distributed. Complete the EV driver survey here.

Local Power Company Fleet Survey
The Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association (TECA) and the Tennessee Municipal Electric Power Association (TMEPA) are partnering with Drive Electric TN to collect data about local power company fleet EVs. Any fleet EV in operation as of December 2024 is relevant to the survey. Complete the fleet EV survey here.

Knoxville EV Owner Survey
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) is conducting a short survey of EV owners and residents of Knoxville. UTK hopes to better understand the level of decision-making within the household and whether household decision-making influences EV purchases. Complete the Knoxville EV owner survey here.

The State of Sustainable Fleets will host the Charging Infrastructure Academy webinar series, where experts will provide insights into developing EV infrastructure projects. All webinars will take place at 1:00 PM Eastern.

The Tennessee Smart Mobility Expo will return to the Music City Center in Nashville on April 2-3. The Expo is a celebration of the latest transportation technologies, innovations, and research that make Tennessee an emerging leader in mobility solutions. With thought-provoking sessions, tech demonstrations, and networking, the Expo celebrates the state’s position as an automotive manufacturing giant and generator of smart mobility solutions.

This year, the Expo will cover topics such as the latest on EV charging, medium- and heavy-duty fleet electrification, public transportation solutions, workforce development, and infrastructure security. Sessions will include the future of public transportation in Tennessee, Tennessee’s progress on EV charging infrastructure development, industry and university collaboration, and technologies to improve transportation safety and sustainability. Speakers include leaders from industry, academia, local governments, TVA, TDEC, the Tennessee Department of Transportation, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, and the federal government.

The Expo will also include a research and technology showcase featuring innovative startups and new technology being advanced in Tennessee, from school buses with bidirectional charging capabilities to wireless charging infrastructure to software platforms that connect vehicle and infrastructure technology. Attendees will connect with automotive OEMs and suppliers, freight and logistics leaders, engineers, mobility service providers, leading researchers, public officials, and technology developers from across the advanced transportation ecosystem.

Register here for the Expo.

The Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo will take place April 28 – May 1 in Anaheim, CA. The Expo unites the transportation sector in an effort to reduce emissions from goods movement, the service industry, and passenger transportation while also driving economic sustainability. The fleet-focused conference agenda showcases the innovations, solutions, policies, and programs driving sustainable commercial transportation.

Through dynamic keynote presentations, executive panel discussions, technical workshops, and in-depth breakout sessions, attendees gain invaluable insights into the future of the industry. Additionally, at ACT Expo, the world’s leading OEMs and commercial transportation technology providers showcase the latest products, solutions, and vehicles designed to decarbonize transport and pave a road to a cleaner future.

Fleets interested in attending the Expo for the first time can contact Barbara Brentano at bbrentano@trccompanies.com to learn about discounts through the First-Time Fleet Program.

Register for the Act Expo here.

Drive Electric TN will host its third annual Momentum Summit at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro on June 24. The Momentum Summit will focus on transportation electrification efforts, including economic and environmental benefits, infrastructure progress, and university and college research on transportation electrification topics. Register for the Momentum Summit here.

U.S. DOE recently announced its Fiscal Year 2025 Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) Program Wide funding opportunity. This program will award up to $88 million for projects that will seek innovative transportation solutions for on- and off-road vehicles.

Topics in the Notice of Funding Opportunity include: 

VTO expects to make about 27-47 awards under the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), each ranging between $1 and $6 million. Concept papers are due April 1, and full applications are due June 18.

Local and State government entities, American Indian tribes, and non-profit entities with 501(c)(3) status are eligible to apply. Additional information can be found in the request for applications available here. Letters of intent to apply are due April 15, and full applications are due June 16.

U.S. DOE recently announced the second round of the Community Energy Innovation Prize, a multi-million-dollar competition supporting grassroots innovation, entrepreneurship, capacity building, and economic development.

One of the three available prize tracks is the Vehicles Ecosystem Track. In this track, a total prize pool of $2.6 million will be awarded to up to 10 teams for supporting the deployment of clean transportation technologies in a manner that promotes access to clean transportation technologies, improves health and air quality outcomes, and lowers the burden of transportation impacts on community members.

Eligible entities include private entities (for-profits and nonprofits); nonfederal government entities such as states, counties, tribes, and municipalities; academic institutions; and individuals. Applications are due June 20.

TDEC and TVA have issued a Notice of Intent (NOI) to release a second-round grant solicitation for the Fast Charge TN Network Grant Program in the spring of 2025. This round of funding will support the continued development of the Fast Charge Network in Tennessee, building out DC fast charging infrastructure at least every 50 miles along prioritized corridors. An interactive version of the of the infrastructure gap map details the 13 infrastructure gap areas of priority. Applicants may propose to develop fast charging infrastructure at any location within 1 - 5 travel miles of each highlighted corridor segment (numbered 1 - 13).

TDEC and TVA partnered to develop a statewide electric vehicle (EV) fast charging network to power the growth of EVs across Tennessee and reduce barriers to transportation electrification. Specifically, the two signed an agreement in 2021 to collaborate and fund a network of fast charging stations every 50 miles along Tennessee’s interstates and major highways. The Program to date has resulted in 28 new charging sites to date in Tennessee, with another approximately 20 in progress, and will ultimately result in about 65 total new fast charging locations along prioritized corridor infrastructure gaps.

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 equitable expansion 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.

The Livewire Data Platform makes it easy to search and share transportation and mobility-related data. It is a repository for U.S. DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Energy Efficient Mobility Systems (EEMS) Program data. The platform includes behavioral, experimental, modeled, analytical, and raw data at the vehicle, traveler, and system levels to support research efforts.

The platform recently improved its search functionality to allow users to search transportation-related datasets using geographic information, with latitude and longitude information now available for the nearly 170 public datasets. Users can layer multiple search features to refine their research beyond keywords, participating organizations, and project search features. Additionally, the platform now offers a searchable database for transportation research publications. Featuring nearly 1,600 publications, users can search by author, publication type or date, and keyword. Publications include technical reports, journal articles, reference materials, supplemental documentation, and support data. Recent publications include journal articles on optimizing dynamic wireless charging for electric buses, and a traffic accident data set for Chattanooga.

Mobility researchers, transportation planners, or those otherwise engaged in energy-efficient mobility efforts can use the Livewire Data Platform to access a variety of datasets to support projects and inform community-level decision-making around new mobility technologies. Register for the Livewire Data Platform here.

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

Past Monthly Newsletters: 

February 2025

December 2024

November 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.