News: Electric vehicles Archives

Electric car stations growing in popularity in Knoxville

By Shelley Phillips on March 8, 2012 9:46 AM

According to a Department of Energy report, has the second highest number of electric vehicle charging stations in Tennessee, behind Nashville, but ahead of Memphis and Chattanooga.

Between March and December 2011, Knoxville drivers charged up more than 7,100 times -- twice as many as in Chattanooga.

And 28 more charging stations are expected in Knoxville by June, including 10 solar charging stations in partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, says Knoxville News Sentinel reporter Gerald Witt in a recent article.

Knoxville businesses such as Cracker Barrel , Three Rivers Market, the Crowne Plaza hotel and others already have stations available for customers.

The growth is fueled by a $99.8 million grant from DOE to ECOtality to install charging sites. Knoxville is one of four cities in Tennessee and one of 18 in the country to benefit from the money.

Tennessee expands rebate program for electric cars

By Shelley Phillips on February 2, 2012 9:29 AM

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The state of Tennessee is adding a second car model to its electric vehicle rebate program, which so far has drawn fewer participants than expected.

WSMV-TV reported Wednesday that the state will soon begin offering $2,500 rebates to owners of the Chevrolet Volt, an electric hybrid car.

The rebate program in Tennessee is now only open to people who buy the all-electric Nissan LEAF.

Car owners who chose to participate in the program must agree to allow data about how they use and charge their vehicles to be collected for a government-funded study. The information is being gathered by the California-based ECOtality. The company received a $99 million stimulus grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

The state added $2.5 million in matching grant money for the rebates.

Four Knoxville hotels add electric vehicle charging stations

By Shelley Phillips on January 10, 2012 9:21 AM

Image via Wikipedia

Out of town visitors and local travelers in the Knoxville area now have more fueling options for their Electric Vehicles. Four Knoxville area hotels operated by Kana Hotel Group have installed eight charging stations positioned in preferred parking spaces.

With installations completed, you can now charge your vehicle at:

Hampton Inn Lenoir City -585 Ft. Loudon Medical Center Dr., Lenoir City 37772

Holiday Inn Express Knoxville - East - 730 Rufus Graham Road, Knoxville 37924

Hampton Inn Knoxville - East 7445 Sawyer Road, Knoxville 37924

Holiday Inn Express & Suites - 111 Hillvale Road, Clinton 37716

"We worked with ECOtality to install Level 2 charging stations at four of our Knoxville area hotels. Providing travelers green fueling options as they visit Knoxville is the next step in our sustainability efforts. Aside from Knoxville, we have also installed them at our two Nashville area locations," said Kevin Mahoney, president of Kana Hotel Group, in a press release.

Continue reading Four Knoxville hotels add electric vehicle charging stations.

Gatlinburg installs EV chargers

By Shelley Phillips on December 14, 2011 8:27 AM

The city of Gatlinburg has installed Level II Blink Chargers for electric vehicles at two downtown parking garages. Image by MR38 via Flickr Image by MR38 via Flickr

The city of Gatlinburg has installed Level II Blink Chargers for electric vehicles at two downtown parking garages.

Gatlinburg is among the first municipalities to install the 240-volt Blink Wall Mount Chargers as a part of The EV Project. The stations are able to fully recharge an electric car battery in four to eight hours.

The charging stations, each with two wall-mounted units, are located at the City's Aquarium and Fred McMahan/Parkway parking garages.

ECOtality targeted Gatlinburg as a preferred site for charging stations because the Smoky Mountains are popular with travelers. The new stations give electric car drivers the option of charging their vehicles on the eastern fringe of the "The Tennessee Triangle," a 425-mile stretch of interstate highway connecting Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga.

Continue reading Gatlinburg installs EV chargers.

ECOtality installs first Cracker Barrel charger in 'Tennessee Triangle'

By Shelley Phillips on October 31, 2011 1:39 PM

ECOtality and Cracker Barrel Old Country Store today unveiled the first Blink Direct Current Fast Charger in Tennessee at the Lebanon Cracker Barrel.

This is the first of 12 Cracker Barrel locations statewide that will install DC Fast Chargers as a part of The EV Project. The stations are able to charge a battery to 80 percent capacity in under 30 minutes--the fastest charge rate currently available.

"By strategically placing Blink charging stations, we are collecting the data needed to build a commercial infrastructure which will untether drivers from their garages," said Jonathan Read, CEO of ECOtality. "We identified destination locations like Cracker Barrel as ideal for charging stations--places where people can grab a meal, charge up and go."

ECOtality worked closely with Cracker Barrel during the site selection process, and took into account factors ranging from traffic patterns, retail destinations and input from other regional partners. "The Tennessee Triangle," a 425-mile stretch of interstate highway connecting Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga, is the ideal location for Cracker Barrel's 12 DC Fast Chargers, which are well suited for high-traffic commercial locations and major transportation corridors.

Continue reading ECOtality installs first Cracker Barrel charger in 'Tennessee Triangle'.

Crowne Plaza installs Knoxville-area's first commercial charging station

By Shelley Phillips on July 14, 2011 8:12 AM

Knoxville's Crowne Plaza hotel is the first commercial site in the city to install a vehicle charging station as part of the state's EV Project.

ECOtality's EV Project is teaming up with Knoxville's Crowne Plaza hotel and Nissan USA today to unveil the first of 12 charging station sites in the Knoxville area, reports Laura Vela in the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Representatives from the organizations will introduce the station in the hotel's parking garage and demonstrate how it works.

The charging station will have two chargers and use will be free to customers of the hotel. Other users will pay $8.

More sites with charging stations in the works:
--Knoxville solar firm Sustainable Future
-- Johnson Family of Restaurants in Sevier County
--Pilot Corp.
-- BP
-- Cracker Barrel
-- town of Farragut parks
--University of Tennessee.

Stephanie Cox, Tennessee-area manager for ECOtality, said Knoxville has the most planned municipal charging stations in the state.

15 Knoxville sites proposed for electric vehicle stations

By Shelley Phillips on July 1, 2011 10:35 AM

A tentative list of charging station locations has been proposed for the Knoxville area, according to Laura Vela in today's News Sentinel.

A letter of estimate from Broadway Electric Service Corp. in Nashville contains a list of the proposed charger locations as part of ECOtality's EV Project.

According to the letter, the possible locations are McGhee Tyson Airport, the Civic Coliseum, Ijams Nature Park, Lakeshore Park, Tyson Park, West Hills Park, Victor Ashe Park, Caswell Park, the Fort Kid and Knoxville Museum of Art parking lot, Dwight Kessel Garage, the Volunteer Landing lot, the Locust Street Garage, an Old City lot off Jackson Avenue, the Market Square Garage and the State Street Garage.

McGhee Tyson Airport, the Civic Coliseum, Caswell Park, and the Dwight Kessel, Locust Street, Market Square, and State Street garages would be receiving the EV Project's wall chargers, according to the report from Broadway Electric.

The other tentative locations would install pedestal charging stations.

Seminar to discuss fuel-saving options

By Shelley Phillips on June 30, 2011 12:33 PM

East Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition has partnered with the Department of Energy Clean Cities program to present a "Fuel Economy & Idle Reduction" seminar 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on July 13 at the Holiday Inn Cedar Bluff.

Government and industry organization speakers will discuss the Clean Cities program, fuel economy, idle reduction practices and options, fuel efficient vehicles and vehicle fleet GPS systems and benefits.

Registration is $15 and includes lunch. To register or for more information, call 865-974-9665.

Green jobs reports identify growing job opportunities in Tennessee

By Shelley Phillips on June 24, 2011 9:49 AM

Two reports released Thursday point to increased demand for green jobs in Tennessee.

The studies, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration, identify the number of green jobs in Tennessee in 2010, expected vacancies in the companies surveyed, and additional jobs created through 2014 by Tennessee's $5.5 billion in investments in the green economy.

The first study, "Green Jobs in Tennessee: Economic Impact of Selected Green Investments in Tennessee" looked at the impact of industries in the state investing in green energy and creating jobs, including Hemlock Semiconductor; Wacker Chemie AG; Volkswagen; Nissan Leaf and Storage Battery Manufacturing; Tennessee Solar Institute and West Tennessee Solar Farm; and eTec Battery Charging Stations.

The report was created by researchers at Middle Tennessee State University's Business and Economic Research Center in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

"While many states have been struggling to add new manufacturing jobs, these six green investments in Tennessee have the potential to reverse trends in the state's manufacturing employment by boosting the job market with nearly 10,000 construction jobs and 17,000 manufacturing jobs," said Dr. Murat Arik, Associate Director for the BERC.

Continue reading Green jobs reports identify growing job opportunities in Tennessee.

More public charging stations on the way, says ECOtality

By Shelley Phillips on June 20, 2011 9:13 AM

Originally announced in 2009, followed by the announcement of a Tennessee electrification "corridor" in 2010, ECOtality's EV Project is finally underway, reports Laura Vela in the Knoxville News Sentinel.

One program participant, John Craig, received his Nissan Leaf last month and uses it to commute from the Loudon County area to his job in downtown Knoxville.

While running out of charge hasn't been a concern, Craig says he is excited about the installation of public charging stations.

The commercial implementation of those stations began last week when the company dedicated several charging stations June 13 at the Loews Hotel in Nashville.

ECOtality stated that more information specific to the Knoxville-area chargers will be released later this summer.

"Our focus up until recently has been on the residential. ... We would like to keep the conversation on the statewide basis and within the next couple weeks have more news for Knoxville," said Stephanie Cox, Tennessee-area manager at ECOtality.

Read more about the EV Project at the Knoxville News Sentinel.