Driving Electric in Humphreys County Made Easier

MLEC connects Waverly to Fast Charge TN and regional network

(June 28, 2024) — Meriwether Lewis has prepared our service area for more electric vehicles as automakers retool their factories to bring more EVs on the roadways in the next decade.

MLEC has officially opened two EV fast chargers at its Waverly District office at 210 West Main Street as part of Fast Charge TN, a partnership between the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), and Seven States Power Corporation. Through the program, TVA and TDEC provided 80 percent of the project cost and made fast chargers possible in the community.

“We moved quickly to participate in Fast Charge TN because we want to make EVs a choice for our community so members can enjoy the environmental and economic benefits of electric transportation,” said MLEC President and CEO Keith Carnahan. “MLEC now has four EV chargers located in its service area. With Waverly’s addition and Hohenwald’s existing chargers, driving electric is easier than ever for members.”

MLEC’s participation expands the regional Fast Charge Network that will cover major travel corridors across TVA’s seven-state service area and will complement the broader efforts of the National Electric Highway Coalition, which seeks to enable long-distance EV travel by placing fast chargers along interstates and major highways throughout the United States.

TVA and TDEC have brought together local power companies, state and local government partners, and others to pave the way for over 200,000 EVs on Tennessee Valley roads by 2028. The benefits that these EVs bring to the Tennessee Valley region are significant:

• Attracting high-quality jobs – $17.2 billion in EV and battery manufacturing has helped create over 14,000 EV-related jobs in the past 10 years
• Reducing carbon emissions from gasoline vehicles by almost 1 million metric tons per year or the equivalent of the carbon sequestered by 1 million acres of U.S. forests in one year
• Reinvesting $120 million in the local economy every year from electric refueling
• Saving drivers up to $1,000 in fuel and maintenance costs every year

“At TVA we’ve moved far beyond connecting communities with power lines,” said TVA EnergyRight Vice President Monika Beckner. “Today, EVs use our clean, low-cost, reliable electricity to connect communities and commerce across our region. Taking a leadership role in EV charging infrastructure allows TVA to save drivers money and attract good jobs and tourism– all powered by electricity from TVA and your local power company.”

“Tennessee’s air is cleaner as measured by federal air quality standards than it has been in generations, and a clean environment helps drive economic development,” TDEC Deputy Commissioner Greg Young said. “TDEC is partnering with TVA and MLEC on the development of this station to continue Tennessee’s environmental and economic momentum while further entrenching our state as the epicenter of the electric vehicle transition.”

“Seven States is trusted by local power companies across the Tennessee Valley to deliver EV charging technology for their consumers,” said Betsey Kirk McCall, President and CEO of Seven States Power Corporation. “Impactful partnerships like this benefit the local community, regional economy and global environment for years to come.”

To learn more about the Fast Charge Network, calculate how much money an EV could save you or locate EV charging stations on your travel route, check out  https://energyright.com/ev/.

Learn more about Fast Charge TN here:  www.tn.gov/EVFastCharge.