Special to the Enquirer
Through a partnership with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), ADECA, the City of Hartselle and Seven States Power Corporation, Hartselle Utilites has brought a fourth EV charging station to the city.
“We moved quickly to participate in the Fast Charge Network because we want to make it easy for people traveling on Interstate 65, Highway 36, Highway 31 and the citizens of Hartselle to have access to this network. The DC fast chargers are conveniently located downtown where people can eat or shop while they are charging their electric vehicle,” Bob Sittason, general manager of Hartselle Utilities said.
“The funding from TVA and ADECA makes it possible to add DC fast chargers in our community by providing 100 percent of the project cost. We would not have been able to do this project without their funding. We appreciate Mayor Randy Garrison and the City of Hartselle providing the site and partnering with us on this project. I would also like to thank our electric linemen who did a commendable job installing the two chargers.”
This fast charger installation is part of 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, according HU.
TVA has 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.
Hartselle Utilities said the benefits that these EVs bring to the Tennessee Valley are significant:
- Attracting high-quality jobs – $17.2 billion in EV and battery manufacturing have helped create more than 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 Monika Beckner, vice president of TVA EnergyRight. “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.”
“Seven States is trusted by local power companies across the Tennessee Valley to deliver EV charging technology for their consumers,” Betsey Kirk McCall, President and CEO of Seven States Power Corporation added. “Impactful partnerships like this benefit the local community, regional economy and global environment for years to come.”
Hartselle Utilities, together with representatives from the City of Hartselle and stakeholders, held a ribbon cutting July 3 marking the official opening of the charging station.
