Driving the future of electric vehicles in Middle Tennessee

It's becoming increasingly clear that electric vehicles are the future of transportation, and that future is closer than ever. Tennessee is becoming a hub for electric vehicle production. That includes the vehicles themselves, like the ones Nissan and General Motors have been building in their Middle Tennessee plants for years. Volkswagen is doing the same in Chattanooga, and Ford is in the process of constructing the massive Blue Oval city facility near Memphis. Drive Electric Tennessee has set a goal of 200,000 electric vehicles on our state’s roads by 2028. But while vehicles are the most visible element, Tennessee is increasingly important when it comes to essential EV components. Battery maker Tritium recently announced they were hiring 250 new workers at their Lebanon plant after posting their largest order late last year. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen made an appearance this month at the site of another battery manufacturing plant currently under construction in Spring Hill. In this episode, we explore what is being done at the city and state levels to drive our electric future. But first, we check in with WPLN political reporter Blaise Gainey to see what's new at the state capitol. Guests: Laurel Creech, assistant director of the Metro Nashville Department of General Services Sustainability Division Pingen Chen, associate professor in mechanical engineering at Tennessee Tech University Cortney Piper, executive director of the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council Ainsley Kelso, communications coordinator for East Tennessee Clean Fuels & Drive Electric Tennessee Related reading: Bumper: Best and Worst States to Own Electric Cars WPLN: Tennessee will house the nation’s largest lithium refining plant to power EVs WPLN: Clarksville to get $3.2B investment for a plant that manufactures EV battery components