Fast Charge Network Helps Accelerate EV Adoption

On a sunny Tennessee afternoon, a black electric pickup truck passes along Sparta Highway, cutting through the small town of McMinnville.

Destination: Ascension Saint Thomas River Park Hospital.

It pulls silently into the lot and into a parking spot, and out steps Larry Flatt, executive director of the automation and robotics program at nearby Motlow State Community College.

He's soon greeted by teams from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Seven States Power Corporation and Tennessee Valley Authority, all gathered to celebrate the opening of the hospital’s two fast-charging stations in the Fast Charge Network.

The stations are now among 97 fast chargers available at 41 Fast Charge sites throughout the Valley region, making the path to EV adoption easier than ever.

Flatt drove the electric truck as part of a two-week, Tennessee Tech program aimed at encouraging use of electric vehicles in rural communities.

And don’t let the vehicle’s quiet motor fool you.

He found the benefits of the electric truck rivaled – and in some respects exceeded – those of a traditional combustion-engine truck.

If he wanted to, he could have taken this EV from 0 to 60 mph in about 4.1 seconds.

“It is a sweet, sweet ride,” he said. “It’s as comfortable for hauling cattle as it is taking a trip up to Nashville. I would definitely consider this for my secondary vehicle.”

Larry Flatt, executive director of the automation and robotics program at Motlow State Community College, parks an electric truck next to fast chargers at Ascension Saint Thomas River Park Hospital.

Building the Network

About five years ago, when TVA and its stakeholders began collaborating to boost EV adoption in the Southeast, they identified four major barriers to market adoption of EVs: charger infrastructure, vehicle availability and choice, consumer education, and supportive policies.

Local power companies, third parties and state agencies joined TVA in setting out to remove these barriers for potential EV buyers.

A key part of this strategy was the creation of a network that would ensure charging stations at least every 50 miles along major travel corridors.

The network would provide much-needed EV infrastructure and help reduce range anxiety, that feeling experienced by drivers who worry their EV’s battery power won’t last them to the next charging station.

The first Fast Charge Network site opened in January 2022.

Since then, the network has powered more than 2 million miles of electric driving and helped avoid about 300 tons of carbon emissions.

It has become the Valley region’s largest publicly accessible charging network, with new sites being added regularly. The goal is to ensure fast chargers are located every 50 miles along major travel corridors by 2026, which would require a minimum of 80 sites and 200 charging stations.

“We are encouraging EV adoption because it fits so well with TVA’s mission of energy, environment and economic development,” Andrew Frye, commercial energy solutions manager at TVA EnergyRight, said.

“Every electric vehicle is a net benefit for the environment and (it) reduces emissions in one of the largest carbon emission sectors – transportation,” Frye said.

Andrew Frye, commercial energy solutions manager at TVA EnergyRight, speaks to guests at the hospital’s unveiling of two new fast chargers.

Local Benefits

The benefits of EVs extend beyond reduced carbon emissions.

On average, EVs save drivers $100 a month on refueling and maintenance. With more than 60,000 EVs currently in the Valley region, those millions of dollars in savings can be reinvested into local communities.

“When you fuel an electric vehicle, your refueling money stays local,” Frye said.

“You're not buying gas that's refined outside of the Tennessee Valley or from outside America,” he said. “You're buying electricity from your local power company, from TVA. That money stays in your local economy.”

Businesses across the region – in Tupelo, Mississippi, in Fort Payne, Alabama, in Blairsville, Georgia and beyond – are seeing increased foot traffic and longer customer visits thanks to fast-charging stations.

“The charging stations at our Lewis County location have been used by out-of-town visitors as well as local residents,” said Keith Carnahan, President and CEO of Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative in Centerville, Tennessee.

“Local businesses promote the chargers with their customers, especially for campgrounds and other tourism spots. With our downtown location, people shop and enjoy lunch while their vehicle is charging.”

The Fast Charge Network aims to have fast chargers located every 50 miles along major travel corridors by 2026. That requires a minimum of 80 sites and 200 charging stations.

‘Something Special’

For Ascencion Saint Thomas River Park, fast chargers on the hospital premises means convenience and peace of mind for patients and staff who own EVs.

“Finding a location that was well lit and safe was very important to us,” Dale Humphrey, Ascension Saint Thomas River Park Hospital’s CEO, said. “It's not just our physicians. I see a lot of people from the community coming here to charge their vehicles.”

The hospital team also recognizes the ancillary benefits of reduced air pollution from EVs.

Having previously upgraded to energy-efficient LED bulbs through a TVA EnergyRight rebate, they were eager to include fast chargers as part of an ongoing partnership with TVA.

“TVA has come to us almost every year with an energy efficiency program that would help save us money,” Humphrey said. “They’ve invested a lot into our community. ... To be the direct recipient of that investment is something special."

At the grand opening in McMinnville, Flatt was first to use the newly installed fast chargers.

The crowd cheered as he plugged in the electric truck.

State leaders at the event spotlighted the broader impacts of the EV ecosystem.

In January, Unitech North America, a leading adhesive manufacturer for EV batteries, announced plans to establish its first U.S. manufacturing operations in Warren County, Tennessee.

The project is expected to create 75 new jobs, with the company investing $30 million in the Morrison, Tennessee, facility, located about 10 miles west of McMinnville.

Equally exciting developments are seen across TVA's seven-state service area.

“We have Ford, General Motors, Nissan and Volkswagen all building electric vehicles in the region, not to mention all the battery manufactures and supply chains around them,” Frye said. “There are huge investments and jobs that come from building charging infrastructure.”

Supporters of a clean energy economy are taking notice, finding new opportunities for workforce training and development of talent pipelines.

This year, Motlow State Community College finished construction on a 7,000-square-foot facility that will house its first cohort of Electric Vehicle Technology students beginning in fall 2026. The two-year program helps students develop the skills and credentials to service electric vehicles, batteries and charging stations.

“By supporting this infrastructure through our battery program we’ll get more people trained, more industries invested in," Flatt said. “And we'll help young people in an at-risk county succeed.”

Through initiatives like the Fast Charge Network, TVA and its partners are helping communities advance through affordable, reliable and American-made clean energy.

“This is the continuation of us being a progressive community and doing the right thing,” Humphrey said. “We see more chargers like this in our future.”

Photo Gallery

Event attendees get a close-up look at the hospital’s new fast chargers.

An electric truck is plugged into one of the new Fast Charge stations. The hospital’s leaders anticipate employees, patients and community members will find the new service useful.

Flatt plugs his electric truck into the fast charger.

Every new electric vehicle on the road is a net benefit to the environment, Frye said. The Fast Charge Network can help encourage adoption of EVs, as it provides a convenient and reliable charging source.

PHOTO AT TOP OF PAGE: A Fast Charge station at Ascension Saint Thomas River Park Hospital in McMinnville, Tennessee.