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Fast Charging Network Coming to Tennessee

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Just wanted to share some exciting news for Rivian owners in (or who drive through) Tennessee. The State and TVA are working together to install 50 new DC Fast charging stations on highways and interstates so there is a charger at least every 50 miles :) The network will feature CCS plugs and we're aiming for the first chargers to be complete in 2022. More info below. TVA will be installing chargers in other surrounding states as well.

Official press release: https://www.tn.gov/environment/news...ast-charging-network-coming-to-tennessee.html
Electrek Article: https://electrek.co/2021/02/03/tennessee-statewide-electric-vehicle-fast-charging-network/

Related, I started a Facebook Group for Tennessee Rivian owners to chat here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/276055320328029
(mods, is this okay? if not, I will remove)
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Godawgs

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Just wanted to share some exciting news for Rivian owners in (or who drive through) Tennessee. The State and TVA are working together to install 50 new DC Fast charging stations on highways and interstates so there is a charger at least every 50 miles :) The network will feature CCS plugs and we're aiming for the first chargers to be complete in 2022. More info below. TVA will be installing chargers in other surrounding states as well.

Official press release: https://www.tn.gov/environment/news...ast-charging-network-coming-to-tennessee.html
Electrek Article: https://electrek.co/2021/02/03/tennessee-statewide-electric-vehicle-fast-charging-network/

Related, I started a Facebook Group for Tennessee Rivian owners to chat here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/276055320328029
(mods, is this okay? if not, I will remove)
I'm over in Knoxville so this is good news! Thanks for sharing.
 

CommodoreAmiga

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Excellent.
 

slawwach

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In the documents they talk about 'at least 50kW' chargers. I believe it was written in 2019, so hopefully they will install something with more power than that.
 

DucRider

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In the documents they talk about 'at least 50kW' chargers. I believe it was written in 2019, so hopefully they will install something with more power than that.
They also refer to dual handle units that allow any EV to charge. That pretty much describes 50 kW DCFC units like EA has at their locations. Since CHAdeMO is being discontinued in the US by the last holdout (Nissan), CCS units up to the current specs (at least 150 kW) should be what is installed.
Another clue is the every 50 mile metric. This points towards the first gen LEAF road trip requirements. If I was to make a recommendation it would be to install more per location and space them further apart. Getting the infrastructure out there is a good thing, but installing toward the obsolete end of the spectrum is not the most efficient use of the money.
CA, OR, WA have the West Coast Electric Highway that was installed with 50 kW (or less) CHAdeMO in the early stages of EV adoption. Very few vehicles that take road trips can utilize this network.
 

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slawwach

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CCS units up to the current specs (at least 150 kW) should be what is installed.
I hope this will be the case. All budget friendly cars coming this year can charge at or close to 150kW rate-VW ID.4, Ford Mach-E, Nissan Ariya. Hyundai Ioniq 5 will probably be capable to charge at even higher rates. And this is already this year and at the lower end of EV price range.

Keeping fingers crossed. This is obviously a good news and I'm just hoping for it to be even better.
 
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In the documents they talk about 'at least 50kW' chargers. I believe it was written in 2019, so hopefully they will install something with more power than that.
I work on the team that developed this and I can assure you we're aiming for higher than 50 kW :) 50 kW chargers every 50 miles (Fast 50) is the the minimum to meet Federal DOT's Alternative Fuel Corridor designation, which makes us eligible for additional federal dollars. I agree that 50 kW chargers would be a terrible user experience :) At the moment we're somewhat constrained by what's available from charging equipment manufacturers since we have to meet Buy America Act provisions (for federal funds). At the moment most chargers are made overseas, or have foreign steel, disqualifying them.
 
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They also refer to dual handle units that allow any EV to charge. That pretty much describes 50 kW DCFC units like EA has at their locations. Since CHAdeMO is being discontinued in the US by the last holdout (Nissan), CCS units up to the current specs (at least 150 kW) should be what is installed.
Another clue is the every 50 mile metric. This points towards the first gen LEAF road trip requirements. If I was to make a recommendation it would be to install more per location and space them further apart. Getting the infrastructure out there is a good thing, but installing toward the obsolete end of the spectrum is not the most efficient use of the money.
CA, OR, WA have the West Coast Electric Highway that was installed with 50 kW (or less) CHAdeMO in the early stages of EV adoption. Very few vehicles that take road trips can utilize this network.
We analyzed this conundrum and came to the conclusion that we must support both CCS and CHAdeMO right now. At the moment, there are more CHAdeMO registered EVs (Leafs) in TN than CCS-capable EVs, so *not* supporting them would disadvantage existing owners who already purchased. That said, we understand that high-power / 100kW+ CCS is the future of charging and we'll be taking this into account as we deploy chargers. The 50 mile increment is driven by a federal DOT (FHWA) program which requires chargers every 50 miles to be eligible for federal funds. In addition, having more charging locations across the state provides access to more Tennesseans (especially in rural areas).
 

CommodoreAmiga

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We analyzed this conundrum and came to the conclusion that we must support both CCS and CHAdeMO right now. At the moment, there are more CHAdeMO registered EVs (Leafs) in TN than CCS-capable EVs, so *not* supporting them would disadvantage existing owners who already purchased. That said, we understand that high-power / 100kW+ CCS is the future of charging and we'll be taking this into account as we deploy chargers. The 50 mile increment is driven by a federal DOT (FHWA) program which requires chargers every 50 miles to be eligible for federal funds. In addition, having more charging locations across the state provides access to more Tennesseans (especially in rural areas).
For sake of argument, let's say you were installing 10 chargers at each location. Couldn't you install one ChAdeMO charger and 9 CCS and then you're not ignoring existing owners, but you're also recognizing the future and fact that the money will be better spent on CCS?
 

azbill

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For sake of argument, let's say you were installing 10 chargers at each location. Couldn't you install one ChAdeMO charger and 9 CCS and then you're not ignoring existing owners, but you're also recognizing the future and fact that the money will be better spent on CCS?
EA has chargers with 2 connectors, one CCS and one ChAdeMo, and the CCS cable supports 150KW, while the other only supports 50KW. These chargers can only work with one vehicle at a time, this is also true for the existing EVGO and ChargePoint DFDCs which also have dual connectors. So TVA could install as many chargers as they want at a given site and support both connectors on everyone of them. It does not reduce the availability of the CCS chargers.

EA has taken a different approach and only has one ChAdeMo connector per site.
 

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slawwach

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I work on the team that developed this and I can assure you we're aiming for higher than 50 kW :) 50 kW chargers every 50 miles (Fast 50) is the the minimum to meet Federal DOT's Alternative Fuel Corridor designation, which makes us eligible for additional federal dollars. I agree that 50 kW chargers would be a terrible user experience :) At the moment we're somewhat constrained by what's available from charging equipment manufacturers since we have to meet Buy America Act provisions (for federal funds). At the moment most chargers are made overseas, or have foreign steel, disqualifying them.
That's great news Ryan!
Are locations known at this point? If not is it safe to assume that they will be installed along the corridors outlined here?
https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/e...ments/EVChargingOpportunityMap_DCFC_11.20.pdf
 

PoorPilot

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Just wanted to share some exciting news for Rivian owners in (or who drive through) Tennessee. The State and TVA are working together to install 50 new DC Fast charging stations on highways and interstates so there is a charger at least every 50 miles :) The network will feature CCS plugs and we're aiming for the first chargers to be complete in 2022. More info below. TVA will be installing chargers in other surrounding states as well.

Official press release: https://www.tn.gov/environment/news...ast-charging-network-coming-to-tennessee.html
Electrek Article: https://electrek.co/2021/02/03/tennessee-statewide-electric-vehicle-fast-charging-network/

Related, I started a Facebook Group for Tennessee Rivian owners to chat here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/276055320328029
(mods, is this okay? if not, I will remove)
This is awesome news! I routinely make the trip from Memphis to Butler, TN (about 30mins from Boone, NC) and as I'm sure you're well aware- charging in E. TN is spotty. The Supercharger network makes is pretty easy in our Model X, but I'd like to take my Rivian while potentially towing a trailer. With that being said, having pull through charging stations are becoming a high-priority for me now.
 

slawwach

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This is awesome news! I routinely make the trip from Memphis to Butler, TN (about 30mins from Boone, NC) and as I'm sure you're well aware- charging in E. TN is spotty. The Supercharger network makes is pretty easy in our Model X, but I'd like to take my Rivian while potentially towing a trailer. With that being said, having pull through charging stations are becoming a high-priority for me now.
For this specific route you should be good with Rivian even today if you're OK in model X.
EA has almost identical spacing of chargers along I-40. And whereas all SCs outside of Nashville are 150 kW, all EA locations have 350 kW chargers.
 

PoorPilot

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For this specific route you should be good with Rivian even today if you're OK in model X.
EA has almost identical spacing of chargers along I-40. And whereas all SCs outside of Nashville are 150 kW, all EA locations have 350 kW chargers.
I'm well aware of the EA chargers along I-40, but as I stated in E. TN, charging is spotty. I end up having to make an intermediate stop in Knoxville before heading further east. I've only found one Supercharger that had anything close to being able to handle towing a trailer- and honestly it would probably block a portion of the parking lot if not navigated properly. I believe it's in Cookeville. It would be great if the TN charging network had 1 spot per station for pull-through access.
 
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I'm well aware of the EA chargers along I-40, but as I stated in E. TN, charging is spotty. I end up having to make an intermediate stop in Knoxville before heading further east. I've only found one Supercharger that had anything close to being able to handle towing a trailer- and honestly it would probably block a portion of the parking lot if not navigated properly. I believe it's in Cookeville. It would be great if the TN charging network had 1 spot per station for pull-through access.
Thanks for the feedback about East TN! In fact, during the announcement we specified our goal to allow people to drive EVs "from the banks of the Mississippi to Mountain City." East TN can be a bit spotty, but good news: there is a new 62.5 kW Chargepoint station along I-81 in Baileyton (Plugshare link) that should help you out. I think it was installed last fall. My hope it that we can expand that location to higher power (125 kW) and more chargers as part this program. Another is in the works in the Sevierville area. By summer/fall we should have a better idea of more locations beyond those. Stay tuned!
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