Charging stations for electric vehicles are headed to gas stations, food stores, and truck stops across Tennessee thanks, in part, to $88.3 million from the federal government.
The state will get more than $13 million in the current fiscal year to begin the program, part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) announced Thursday by the U.S. Department of Energy. The rest of the funds will be delivered over the next five years.
Tennessee’s share of the funds is part of a larger, $7.5 billion effort from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to build a nationwide system of charging stations. The move is hoped to make electric vehicles reliable for short and long distance trips.
”For too long, Tennessee has had unreliable and inconsistent charging facilities along its roads and highways, inconveniencing drivers and putting a drag on our regional economy,” U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Memphis) said in a statement. “These overdue investments will strengthen our state’s critical infrastructure — paving the way for cleaner, easier driving and supporting good-paying union jobs.”
The country’s current system now has a network of about 100,000 charging stations. The Biden Adminstration’s goal with the new funding is to expand that network to 500,000 chargers.
The new money directs states to work with the private sector to build this network. This is “best achieved by harnessing the existing nationwide network of refueling locations,” according to lobbyists for refueling stations. The bill gives priority for charging stations at “travel centers, food retailers, and convenience stores,” according to the National Association of Truck Stop Operators (NATSO) and the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America (SIGMA). The bill will not allow other companies to install charging stations and states cannot install them at rest areas.
The truck stop organization says its existing network offers convenience, amenities, security, food, and competitive and transparent pricing, all usually less a mile from an interstate. Gas station advocates say their stores will be able to offer charging in “communities where most residents cannot reliably charge their electric vehicles overnight” and that they are more suited for quick-stop charging that may not require a complete fill up.
“Our industry understands that electric vehicle drivers will expect their driving and refueling experience to be as safe, seamless, and predictable as it is today,” reads a joint statement from NATSO and SIGMA. “There is no ‘range anxiety’ today for drivers of gas-powered vehicles. That is achievable for electric vehicles as well.”
The new network is hoped to help grow electric vehicle sales in the U.S. to 50 percent of the entire automobile market by 2030.
”The U.S. market share of plug-in electric vehicle sales is only one-third the size of the Chinese [electric vehicle] market,” reads a statement form theWhiteHouse. “The President believes that must change.”
Last year, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) launched the Electric Highway Coalition to bolster the electric charging network across its service area and into other states. That coalition has grown to 14 other energy providers across 29 states and the District of Columbia. This push is hoped to install a network of fast charging stations across these areas with stations located less than 100 miles from each other.