On January 24, 2022, Seven States Power Corporation joined member-owner Fort Payne Improvement Authority (FPIA), the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) in celebrating the installation of two electric vehicle (EV) fast chargers in Fort Payne, making it the first operational charging site in the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) regional Fast Charge Network.

The Fast Charge Network supports the broader National Electric Highway Coalition, enabling long-distance electric vehicle travel by placing public fast chargers every 50 miles along interstates and major highways throughout Alabama and across the United States.

Seven States Power Corporation provided technical and project management support to FPIA on the project.

“This is a great example of how through partnerships, we can design, develop and deploy technologies to enhance the communities in which we live, work and play,” said Betsey Kirk McCall, President and CEO of Seven States. “We are thrilled to partner with FPIA, TVA and ADECA on this project and create a blueprint for the rest of the Tennessee Valley.”

“We moved quickly to participate in this program because we want to make it easy for people to choose EVs so our community can enjoy the environmental and economic benefits of electric transportation,” said FPIA’s General Manager, Mike Shirey. “The support from TVA and grant funding from ADECA made it possible to add charging stations without affecting our customers’ bills.”

TVA has brought together local power companies, state agencies and others to pave the way for well over 200,000 EVs on Tennessee Valley roads by 2028.  The benefits this increase in EVs will provide to the Tennessee Valley region are significant:

“At TVA we’ve moved far beyond connecting communities with power lines,” said Jeannette Mills, TVA Executive Vice President and Chief External Relations Officer. “Today, EVs use our clean, low-cost, reliable electricity to connect communities and commerce across our seven-state region. By taking a leadership role in EV technology, TVA and local power companies like FPIA are not only saving drivers money but benefiting everyone in the Valley by attracting tourism and good jobs while stewarding our environment for future generations. These investments are possible because of our public power model.”

If you have questions about the Fast Charge Network and how your local power company can get involved, please reach out to Seven States’ James Ellis at jellis@7spc.com.