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Southwest receives major TVA grant for electrical vehicle innovation

By Suzanne Gibson 

Driving Tennessee Forward - EV Technologies 

Southwest receives major TVA grant for electrical vechicle innovation

Southwest Tennessee Community College is pleased to announce a $949,822.50 grant award entitled Driving Tennessee Forward - EV Technologies from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). This award allows the installation of electrical vehicle (EV) charging stations on the Macon Cove Campus and the ability to offer training courses on maintenance and installation. 

In addition to installing six charging stations, Southwest is partnering with Atom Power, a leader in EV charging station technology, to develop and support a program providing the opportunity for local apprentice and journeyman electricians to learn to install, service and maintain Atom Power stations. As the adoption of EVs increases, students of the program will gain experience to service charging stations located at sites throughout the country.

The EV training program is geared for a Level 2 charging station so that students will gain an awareness of charger types commonly acquired by solicitations issued by state, county and municipal government programs. Atom Power has committed to providing training and certification toward the Certified Installer Program for successful electrician students to support the economic communities in the Memphis region and beyond.

“Our goal, through this grant opportunity,” says Dr. Tracy D. Hall, president of Southwest Tennessee Community College, “is to increase the practicality of electric vehicles through better access to EV charging stations and, through the training of individuals, provide qualified technicians who can install and offer maintenance on the stations. As it stands, people are purchasing electric vehicles yet are unable to drive distances because of a shortage of charging stations.” 

A larger aspiration of the grant is to develop a network of EV charging stations from Memphis to Knoxville, Tennessee, so that driving distances becomes more practical for owners of electric vehicles. “The entire program, both through helping to fuel EVs and training technicians to install and maintain charging stations, supports current and future economic growth and workforce development and can be easily replicated by other communities,” says Hall.

The Driving Tennessee Forward - EV Technologies grant addresses the following areas: 

  • Equitable access to innovative, sustainable, connected technologies - Equitable distribution of EV energy to our diverse and underserved population of students and the Memphis community at large
  • Access to better employment, career, or entrepreneurial opportunities
  • Access to quality Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education – Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) opportunities through technical training. Southwest supports an area that has one of the lowest percentages of college-educated citizens in the nation.

For more information about the Driving Tennessee Forward - EV Technologies program, contact Suzanne Gibson at sgibson12@southwest.tn.edu.