Will Blink spur TVA’s stagnant EV fast charging plan into action?

Blink Charging is going to supply the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the US’s largest government-owned utility, with DC fast chargers and Level 2 chargers.

Blink and TVA pair up

The Miami Beach-based Blink (Nasdaq: BLNK) today announced a two-year contract with TVA to supply EV chargers for both public and commercial use.

The new agreement provides TVA with access to Blink’s Level 2 Series 7 charger, and its 50kW DC fast charger, 75kW DC fast charger, and 150kW DC fast charger. (The three DC Fast Chargers that Blink is providing, as part of the TVA contract, are third-party chargers, according to a Blink spokesperson.) 

The TVA, a federally owned corporation in the US created by congressional charter in 1933, is the country’s sixth-largest power provider. It serves 10 million customers in seven states. TVA is helping to fund and develop a public EV charger network across its seven-state service area.

On February 3, 2021, TVA and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation announced that they would jointly develop the “Fast Charge TN Network,” a statewide network of EV fast charging stations every 50 miles along Tennessee’s interstates and major highways.

Electrek’s Take

I checked to see how TVA and Tennessee’s progression was going on its big “EV fast charging stations every 50 miles” plan.

As of March 2023, according to the Tennessee government website, there are “only 25 DC fast charging locations currently operating” in the state that are open to all consumers and support both charging standards common to EVs. Tennessee plans to add “40 new [public] charging locations.”

TVA’s website states that it plans to install 50 DC fast chargers across the state. Hmmm.

When I wrote about this in 2021, Tennessee’s existing fast charging network was made up of 24 DC fast chargers.

So… the state has added… one DC fast charger in 2.5 years. Really, TVA and Tennessee? Why the sluggishness?

The last press release posted on the TVA EV Initiative Press Kit website was in September 2022.

But a Tennessee state spokesperson told me in 2021 that it’s “aiming for completion in 2023-2024.”

Looks like Blink has a lot of work to do. Let’s hope this stagnating program finally gains some momentum.

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