The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has awarded approximately $2.7 million in total grant funding from the state’s Volkswagen Diesel Settlement Environmental Mitigation Trust (VW Settlement EMT). The four grantees will use the funds to install direct current fast charging (DCFC) infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs) along prioritized interstate or major highway corridors across the state.
The projects will involve the installation of 22 charging units at eight sites. The program is part of a partnership between TDEC and Tennessee Valley Authority to develop a statewide EV fast-charging network to power the growth of EVs across the state.
Grantees include:
- PowerUp America
- Shorepower Technologies
- Town of Thompson’s Station
- Universal EV
Collectively, these four entities will complete projects to address each of highway segments 1 through 8 as shown by the interactive infrastructure gap map released along with the solicitation for proposals in 2025. This map sought to highlight prioritized stretches of Tennessee’s highway network still in need of DCFC infrastructure projects that are not covered by current buildout plans under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program.
Since the announcement of Round 1 awards in 2022, the Fast Charge TN Network Program partnership has facilitated the completion of DCFC sites at 45 locations across the state as of July 2026, with several additional Round 1 projects still in development. These investments are part of the broader Fast Charge Network that aims to reduce barriers to EV adoption by deploying fast chargers at least every 50 miles along the interstates and major highways across TVA’s seven state service territory.
The competitive grant program comprised the state’s sixth solicitation for projects under the VW Settlement EMT. The purpose of the EMT is to execute environmental mitigation projects that reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides.
The VW Settlement EMT allocation complements the state’s use of its allocated funds under the NEVI Formula Program, which is funded by the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The NEVI Formula Program aims to build out fast charging infrastructure along federally designated Alternative Fuel Corridors, which in Tennessee includes all two-digit interstate highways and the majority of U.S. Highway 64.
Published August 2026
