EPB and TVA officials say Chattanooga is a great place for electric vehicles

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — With more than 50 of charging stations, Chattanooga is already friendly to electric vehicles.

“So just about all of our electric power customers are within just a mile or two of being able to drive to a public station. But we do want to point out the future of EVs, the future means when you come home you plug in again. When you go somewhere you have a full charge. So home is going to be the number one place to charge,” said John Pless, with EPB.

On Monday, Volkswagen announced Chattanooga was picked to be the company’s US base for electric vehicle production.

“It really means a lot because they are investing a lot in our community. They are bringing the next generation of mobility right here to Chattanooga, it is putting Chattanooga really in the driver’s seat if you will of EV technology, but they are creating jobs,” Pless said.

Over at TVA, they are a strong supporter of these cars.

“Electric vehicles are more efficient, they are better for the environment and they cost less to operate than gas vehicles. So we think that really lines up well with TVA’s mission that is centered around energy, environment and economic development,” said Drew Frye, the program manager for great edge technologies and electric vehicle strategy at TVA.

According to TVA, our region is a great place to own an electric vehicle.

“Over half the electricity that TVA makes comes from carbon free sources, like nuclear, hydro electric dams and renewables like wind and solar. So using that electricity instead of gasoline is much better for the environment,” Frye said.

In Chattanooga, people who own these cars have plenty of options when it comes to charging them up.

When they are fully charged, electrical vehicles can go for hundreds of miles.