Chattanooga will be part of a $99.8 million effort to undertake the largest deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) and charging infrastructure in U.S. history.The U.S. Department of Energy today said that Tennessee is one of five states participating in the major clean energy venture.
The state of Tennessee's role in the project is an outgrowth of Governor Phil Bredesen's conversations with Nissan North America, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and other public and private partners committed to promoting the use of zero-emission vehicles, including electric vehicles, state officials said.
The multi-state project will be funded through a $99.8 million DOE grant to Electric Transportation Engineering Corp. (eTec), a subsidiary of ECOtality, Inc., a Phoenix, Ariz.-based leader in electric transportation and storage technologies. eTec, in partnership with Nissan, will take advantage of the early availability of the Nissan Leaf, a newly unveiled zero-emission electric vehicle, to develop, implement and study techniques for optimizing the effectiveness of charging infrastructure that will support widespread electric vehicle deployment.
Nissan described the project as "the largest deployment of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure ever undertaken."
The project will install electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and deploy up to 5,000 Nissan battery electric vehicles, in strategic markets in five states: Arizona, California, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington. Approximately 2,500 charging stations will be installed to support as many as 1,000 cars that are expected to be purchased for use in commercial and government fleets and by individual consumers.
The first cars will hit the road in late 2010 and early 2011. "Helping fund infrastructure, like charging stations, is a logical extension of government investment in the transportation sector," Governor Bredesen said.
Governor Bredesen said he views the electric vehicle project as a natural extension of economic investments that recently have propelled Tennessee to the forefront of the clean energy technology field. The Pew Charitable Trusts reports that the Tennessee State is one of three states in the nation - including Colorado and Oregon - that has a "large and fast-growing" clean energy economy.
"For Tennessee, investing in electric vehicle technology is not only about doing the right thing for the environment," Bredesen said. "It's also about creating jobs and strengthening our economy."
eTec, as the lead applicant for the proposal, partnered with Nissan North America to deploy EVs and the charging infrastructure to support them. The Project takes advantage of the early availability of the Nissan LEAF, a zero-emission electric vehicle, to develop, implement and study techniques for optimizing the effectiveness of charging infrastructure that will support widespread EV deployment.
“By studying lessons learned from electric vehicle operations and the infrastructure supporting these first 5,000 vehicles, the Project enables the streamlined deployment of the next 5,000,000 electric vehicles,” said Don Karner, president of eTec.
The Project will collect and analyze data to characterize vehicle use in diverse topographic and climatic conditions, evaluate the effectiveness of charge infrastructure, and conduct trials of various revenue systems for commercial and public charge infrastructure.
With the goal of developing mature charging environments, the Project proposes to deploy charging infrastructure in major population areas that include Phoenix, Tucson, San Diego, Portland, Eugene, Salem, Corvallis, Seattle, Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga.
To support the Nissan EV, the Project will install approximately 12,500 Level 2 (220V) charging systems and 250 Level 3 (fast-charge) systems.
“ECOtality is committed to enhancing America’s energy independence, accelerating the market acceptance of electric transportation and supporting President Obama’s goals for job creation and advanced electric drive vehicle deployment,” stated Jonathan Read, president and CEO, ECOtality. “This Project underscores America’s leadership role in clean electric transportation and exemplifies the Department of Energy’s strategic foresight and commitment to improving our environment and economy. By developing a rich charge infrastructure in each market, this Project will enable a successful consumer experience amongst early EV adopters and increase market demand for electric transportation.”
On Sunday, Nissan introduced the LEAF, an electric vehicle and the world’s first affordable, zero-emission car. Designed specifically for a lithium-ion battery-powered chassis, Nissan LEAF is a medium-size hatchback that comfortably seats five adults and has a range of 100 miles to satisfy real-world consumer requirements. The Nissan LEAF will launch in the United States in late 2010. U.S. production will begin in 2012, at Nissan’s manufacturing facility in Smyrna, Tennessee.
“Nissan appreciates the support of the Department of Energy in helping jumpstart the electrification of the transportation sector,” said Scott Becker vice president, legal and general counsel, Nissan North America. “This is a major step in promoting zero-emission mobility in the United States. Nissan is looking forward to partnering with eTec to help make electric cars a reality and to help establish the charging networks in key markets.”
The U.S. Department of Energy will provide funding of up to $99.8 million that will be matched by Project participants. Federal matching funds will be used to design, deploy, and operate a mature charging infrastructure in support of future wide-scale deployment of EVs, and to evaluate the means to improve the effectiveness of this charging infrastructure.
The Chattanoogan, August 5th, 2009
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