By Shannon McFarlin News Director
Paris, Tenn.–With the installation of two EV fast chargers downtown, the city of Paris is in the vanguard as the state of Tennessee seeks to be the Number 1 state to build, own and drive electric vehicles in the country.
The EV fast chargers were dedicated Tuesday morning with a ribbon-cutting that drew a crowd to the downtown parking lot at Fentress and Blythe Streets, where the new charging station is located. Paris is the eighth public EV fast charging site in Tennessee.
Paris Board of Public Utilities CEO Terry Wimberley said, “We saw the opportunity to bring this infrastructure to our town and we want to attract EV traffic to come here. We moved quickly to participate in Fast Charge TN because we wanted to put Paris, TN on the EV charging map.”
The 80% funding from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) mades it possible to install the new charging station, he said, noting it was the result of a partnership between BPU, TVA, TDEC and Seven States Power Corporation.
This Fast Charge TN installation is part of the regional Fast Charge Network that will cover major travel corridors across TVA’s seven-state service area and will complement the broader efforts of the National Electric Highway Coalition, which seeks to enable long-distance EV travel by placing fast chargers along interstates and major highways throughout the United States.
Paris’ location near “one of the major corridors” of Hwy. 641 N & S, as well as near Hwy. 79, was perfect for the Fast Charge TN project, which seeks to install EV fast chargers every 50 miles across the state.
Also speaking at today’s ribbon-cutting were Paris Mayor Kathy Ray; City Manager Kim Foster; Mark Finley of TDEC; Betsey Kirk McCall of Seven States Power; and Mark Yates of the TVA.
Foster said, “We truly are excited about this opportunity. This is going to bring people into our community. The city of Paris will be in all of these apps. When people are looking for a place to charge their vehicles, it will show the city of Paris.”
Foster praised BPU officials for their “forward-thinking and for thinking of what’s best for our community. We have a downtown that is the envy of a lot of towns in Tennessee” and this will enhance what Paris has to offer downtown.
Finley of TDEC said, “It’s great to see everything come to fruition” in Fast Charge TN. “Our goal is for Tennessee to be the Number 1 state to build, own and drive EVs.”
TVA’s Mark Yates said, “This is the eighth site to be operational in Tennessee and I want to congratulate Paris. The availability of these public fast charges will encourage more electric vehicles and that will be good for all of us. It will bring travelers from all over into town and transportation is our best opportunity to reduce emissions and improve air quality.”
Public EV chargers also are located at Eiffel Tower Park in Paris.
To learn more about the Fast Charge Network, calculate how much money an EV could save you or locate EV charging stations on your travel route, check out https://energyright.com/ev/. Learn more about Fast Charge TN here: www.tn.gov/EVFastCharge.
Photo: Cutting the ribbon at today’s dedication, from left: Mark Finley, BPU Board member Butch Powers, Wimberley, Foster, McCall, Paris Commissioner Vickey Roberts, local car dealer Jeff Mahan, and Ray. (Shannon McFarlin photo).