Mass EV charging station manufacturer opens in Lebanon
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - A wave of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations will be hitting roadways across America - many of them coming from a new facility in Wilson County.
Tritium had its grand opening celebration in Lebanon on Tuesday. The global leader in fast charging stations for EVs intends to build between 10,000 and 30,000 fast charging stations each year.
“That’s what’s going to be really suitable for those highways and interstates to have every 50 miles where you can stop,” Tritium CEO Jane Hunter said. “Our job is going to be done when you as a driver don’t have to think about where to charge or how long it takes to charge. Just you can charge anywhere conveniently.”
Tennessee currently has 23 fast charging stations in its “Fast Charge TN Network,” which is an initiative by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to grow the use of electric vehicles. The plan is to add about 50 more over the next five years.
The Tritium plant in Lebanon will employ more than 500 people, with the company currently hiring more than 10 people a week.
The assembly line has 15 stations, and each fast charging station takes 10 hours to make.
Hunter says, in other states, fast charging stations are being placed in fast food parking lots and other retail stores - not just near interstates.
They can charge an EV in less than 30 minutes, giving the vehicles around 200 miles to travel.
“Now these can be anywhere. They’re quiet. They don’t make a heavy hum,” Hunter said. “So, they can actually go on your residential street outside your house.”
Tritium says around 40 percent of its parts will be sourced locally. Starting next year, the facility will produce “Buy America” compliant fast chargers, opening the door to some of the $7.5 billion in the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is expected to deploy a network of 500,000 EV charges along highway corridors across the United States.
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