TN Clean Fuels Press Release: Tennessee Tech Unveils DCFC Unit

On July 22, Tennessee Technological University (Tennessee Tech, or TTU) unveiled a new Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC) station that will serve a U.S. Department of Energy -funded project started in 2019, as well as the greater Cookeville area. The unit was installed in a TTU parking lot along a busy corridor in Cookeville and will be the primary refueling site for an all-electric E450 shuttle bus that is part of the same DOE project. Lead project infrastructure partner Seven States Power Corporation managed the installation.

TTU was awarded and started that three-year DOE project last year, towards “developing an Electrical Vehicle (EV) Testbed in the 14-county ‘Upper Cumberland’ region of Tennessee.” The region is a largely rural area and includes a number of economically distressed counties (see map below). The grant’s Principal Investigator, Dr. Pingen Chen , is an Assistant Professor in TTU’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and has brought a diverse group of about 10 partners into the project.

One component of this multifaceted project is the installation of nine EV charging units throughout the Upper Cumberland region. The first of the nine EV charging units is the DCFC unit that was installed at 320 University Drive, Cookeville, TN 38501. In the coming months, the remaining eight EV charging stations – all of which will be Level-2 stations – will be installed in select locations in the surrounding counties in the following cities: Lafayette, Carthage, Livingston, Byrdstown, Jamestown, Smithville, Sparta and Spencer.

Another facet of the project includes procuring five electrified vehicles, which include three Nissan Leafs , one all-electric E-450 passenger shuttle, and one plug-in hybrid F-250. “The three Nissan Leafs are ready to be used now for educational purposes, such as showcasing the value of electric vehicles through Ride and Drive or Show and Tell types of experiences specifically for our rural community,” said Dr. Chen. “Many times, in our state, we see plenty of EV opportunities and accessibility available in metropolitan cities, whereas rural communities are not prioritized. Our goal is to provide information, education, and a variety of EV experiences and opportunities for business leaders and community members to have access to this new automobile technology and to help inform their buying decisions.”

A 7 seven states charging station with a tree in the background. — The new ChargePoint DCFC unit has cables for both the CHAdeMO and SAE Combo standards and connectors.

Also, in attendance at the DCFC unveiling was TTU’s President, Dr. Phillip Oldham. “We are pleased with Dr. Chen’s EV initiative at TTU. This project fits well within TTU’s Grand Challenge Initiative called Rural Reimagined , which focuses on how the university will harness science, technology, and innovation to transform rural living,” said President Oldham. “Tennessee Tech serves more distressed counties than any other state university in Tennessee and is centrally located to eight counties in great need. We have an opportunity where this EV initiative can drive change through developing partnerships that will help transform our rural community. We find this opportunity energizing and a step-forward for Tech and our community overall.”

While the Nissan Leafs will be utilized to showcase EV operations and driving ease to individuals and fleets in the entire region, the E-450 shuttle will be used specifically by the transportation department of the Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency. They plan to first utilize a TTU and downtown Cookeville route to operate the shuttle, but after any initial problems are worked out and the shuttle has proven its reliability in service, the department plans to move it to other routes around the 14-county region. Finally, the plug-in hybrid F-250 was specifically chosen as ‘best choice’ for getting farmers in the counties to test drive an electric vehicle. Jonathan Overly of ETCleanFuels notes, “if we really wanted to change the region’s farmers opinions about EVs, we thought that range restriction could make them test driving an EV a nonstarter. Thus, we elected to go with a plug-in hybrid so that they could finish any chore or task that they might handle on any given day.” The three Leafs are already in use, while the E-450 and F-250 are still in the process of being converted by those respective partners, Phoenix Motorcars and XL Fleet.

TTU’s project includes partnerships with Nissan North America , the East Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition , ChargePoint , Seven States Power Corporation , the Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency , the University of Texas at Austin , Phoenix Motorcars , Lyft and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

For more information about this grant and project, contact Dr. Pingen Chen at pchen@tntech.edu .

To view this press release in PDF format, click here.

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POWERING UP: Chattanooga-based Seven States to build grid batteries with $439M in federal funds

By Jessica Bradshaw • May 28, 2026

Chattanooga Times Free Press | 28 May 2026 | BY DANIEL DASSOW Seven States Power Corp., a Chattanooga-based energy cooperative, will use $439 million in loans and grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to build grid-level batteries across Tennessee. The group announced a 20-megawatt installation in partnership with Johnson City-based public utility BrightRidge on Tuesday as the first investment of its Energy Express project. Seven States won a $415 million zero-interest loan and a $24 million grant last year from the USDA’s Rural Utilities Service. The nonprofit corporation is owned by its members, the 153 local utilities in seven states that buy wholesale electricity from the Tennessee Valley Authority. Seven States was created in 2007 by TVA, the nation’s largest public power provider, and the local utilities that buy electricity from TVA. The co-op was established to help finance power plants, expand energy production and modernize grid infrastructure. Through the Energy Express project, Seven States will build, own and operate up to 220 megawatts of battery storage across Tennessee, said Betsey Kirk McCall, president and CEO of Seven States. “The project will enhance reliability by powering up to 25,000 homes for eight hours,” McCall said at a public comment session before the TVA board May 21. “We will create up to 100 new construction jobs.” Seven States and BrightRidge will focus on improving power reliability and management of unexpected outages while keeping electric rates below the national average, the pair said in a press release. Local utilities in the region can use batteries to reduce their peak power usage, which in turn reduces their power bill to TVA. BrightRidge is evaluating locations for the project, which is expected to support around 5,500 homes and businesses. The partners plan to begin construction in 2027 and complete the installation by December 2028. BrightRidge serves more than 84,000 customers in Carter, Greene, Sullivan and Washington counties. Jeffrey Dykes, CEO of BrightRidge, serves as chair of the Seven States board of directors. “This scalable battery solution is another example of how the team at Seven States is on the leading edge of deploying technologies that will define the future of the energy sector,” Dykes said in the press release. GRID SUPPORT From 2008-13, Seven States and TVA jointly owned the Southaven Power Plant, an 800-megawatt natural gas plant in Mississippi. The joint ownership was meant to help TVA stay within its $30 billion legal debt limit set by Congress in 1979. Since its founding, Seven States has delivered 222 projects with 80 local utilities and received $475 million in state and federal funding for regional grid projects, McCall told the TVA board. The group has helped its members install electric vehicle charging stations, solar power installations, battery systems and natural gas backup generators. Its projects include installations at Dollywood and Rock City. Seven States leaders have promoted the corporation as a financing option within the Tennessee Valley region to help TVA meet rising power demand. Its status as a power generation and transmission coop owned by TVA customers means it has “inherent checks and balances” to keep power costs affordable for ratepayers, McCall said. “Seven States is pursuing additional financing to acquire generation and support more power supply,” McCall said. “Utilizing Seven States to finance power supply is a ready-now solution for unleashing American energy faster.” The group originally announced the USDA funding would go to power generation projects, including solar and battery storage, but now plans to focus solely on battery storage. Contact business reporter Daniel Dassow at ddassow @timesfreepress.com 423-757-6318.

USDA RUS Assistant Administrator Chris McLean: ”We celebrate a bright and shining future…with first time program borrowers like Seven States”

By Jessica Bradshaw • May 27, 2026

Today marks a remarkable milestone as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) celebrated the 90th anniversary of the passage of the Rural Electrification Act and the tremendous impact USDA programs have had on rural communities across the country. For nine decades, USDA has played a vital role in strengthening infrastructure, supporting economic development, and ensuring reliable access to essential services in areas that power the Tennessee Valley and America every day. Seven States Power Corporation is proud to have been mentioned alongside this important work and be recognized in partnership as USDA continues to advance the energy industry. We also want to extend our sincere thanks to Assistant Administrator for the Rural Utilities Service (RUS), Chris McLean, for recognizing Seven States and our new borrower status with USDA. Our partnership with USDA RUS represents an exciting new chapter for Seven States and reflects the shared commitment between our organizations to invest in abundant and affordable energy. “Once infrastructure is created, it must be nurtured, maintained, and improved over time. Today, we not only celebrate our history, we also celebrate our bright and shining future,” said McLean. McLean noted that USDA has longstanding relationships with borrowers dating back to 1930 and added that the agency is now working with new borrowers like Seven States. As energy demand continues to grow across the Tennessee Valley, we are excited about the opportunities this partnership creates to finance energy assets, expand power production and modernize grid infrastructure. Please join us in congratulating USDA on this special 90th Anniversary celebration! Click here for the USDA press release and photos from today’s celebration event.

A path for more energy in the Valley

By Jessica Bradshaw • May 26, 2026

Chattanooga Times Free Press | 15 Feb 2026 | BY SEVEN STATES POWER CORPORATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Demand for energy is climbing while extreme weather events like Winter Storm Fern and Winter Storm Elliott continue to challenge an already constrained electric system. Fortunately, there is a ready-now solution. Seven States Power Corporation is a cooperative designed to help meet demand for affordable, abundant and reliable power. Since the 1930s, the Tennessee River Valley has thrived under a vital network of the wholesale power provider — the Tennessee Valley Authority — and the electric utility customers that together form the public power model. More than 150 electric utility customers distribute affordable energy across a seven-state region of Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Kentucky, Virginia and North Carolina. In 2007, TVA and the electric utilities joined forces to form Seven States as an in-valley solution to finance power assets, expand energy production and modernize infrastructure. THE ‘IN-VALLEY’ SOLUTION Seven States is a nonprofit generation and transmission cooperative headquartered in Chattanooga. It is member-owned by the electric utility customers of TVA across the seven-state region. The cooperative is uniquely positioned to operate outside established debt constraints and regulatory limitations that restrict other entities. This means Seven States can own large power plants and transmission towers, which frees up debt for TVA to build and operate more power supply. When the electric utility customers collectively own assets through Seven States, it also ensures that rates in the region remain affordable. This flexibility allows Seven States to move quickly to supplement the valley’s energy needs with reliable sources of power. In January 2025, Seven States was awarded $439 million by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, consisting of a zero-interest loan and grant to build new capacity. The first initiative under this award is a utility-scale power project that will enhance grid stability and reliability, benefits that can be shared across the valley. Where demand for capital and power are soaring, Seven States makes it happen. Seven States has a proven history of filling critical gaps when needed. One of its earliest projects with TVA was financing a large power asset — an 800-megawatt gas plant located in Southaven, Mississippi. By partnering with Seven States, the energy sector can nearly double its capital investment to accelerate generation projects. Where finances are constrained, Seven States makes it happen. In addition, Seven States has stepped up to deliver distribution technologies that bridge the past, present and future of a modern energy grid. With projects deployed across the valley at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Dollywood Parks and Resorts in Pigeon Forge, Montgomery Bell State Park in Burns, Tennessee, Rock City in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, and the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and with more than 500 electric vehicle chargers installed to date, Seven States has proactively advanced infrastructure to support economic development across the region. Where innovation and infrastructure are needed, Seven States makes it happen. In July 2025, the Seven States Board of Directors — representing 17 major electric utilities that purchase power from TVA — unanimously passed a resolution affirming Seven States as an additional supplier of abundant, reliable energy within the valley. By advancing an in-valley solution owned by the customers, the public power model can thrive and evolve from within, guided by those who know the region best. Seven States has built a foundation for the energy future through its cooperative structure and access to affordable capital. It represents a real opportunity to expand power production and light the way for prosperity across the Valley.