Memphis Mitsubishi

A new Mitsubishi operation in Memphis will make a chemical for e-car batteries and is likely to get a PILOT concession, the CA reports.

Memphis e-Car grid

Shelby County has identified 69 sites for charging stations for e-autos, says the CA.

Nissan HQ solar chargers

Nissan has installed solar-powered e-car charging stations at its headquarters in Franklin, Tenn. Read about it here.

ECOtality TN briefings

ECOtality, out of San Francisco, will hold briefings on making your business a charging station for e-cars in Franklin near Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga and Knoxville. The release is here.

TN e-cars roll out

Knoxville's MetroPulse provides an interesting overview of the challenges facing Nissan and others as they roll-out their Leafs and other e-cars.

TVA Charging-station prototype

TVA unveiled its e-car charging-station protype, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports.

Alt Fuels: E-car recharging - We're on it

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is working on wireless charging for electric cars, for those forgetful owners. The KNS reports. Meanwhile, Nissan recently announced progress in setting-up those LEAF recharging stations, including some in Tennessee. Meanwhile, an MTSU professor's car runs on hydrogen, the KNS reports.

Austrian firm opens Chattanooga facility

Austrian-flagged Fronius U.S.A., division of Fronius International, opened a 5,000 sq. ft. sales and services office in Chattanooga. Fronius is in the fields of battery-charging systems, photovoltaics and welding technology.

Oak Ridge Energy Corridor

Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority, Y-12 National Security Complex and the City of Oak Ridge are joining to create the Oak Ridge Energy Corridor, which aims to have a big role in boosting more efficient transportation, including e-cars. The KNS reports.

DOE signs Nissan LEAF Battery loan agreement

The Department of Energy signed a loan agreement to make $1.4 BN available to Nissan to support manufacture of the LEAF e-car battery at Smyrna, Tenn. Release here. The DOE release said, in part, "The loan will result in the creation of up to 1,300 jobs when the plants are operating at full capacity. Modification of the Smyrna manufacturing plant, which will begin later this year, includes a new battery plant and changes in the existing structure for electric-vehicle assembly. When fully operational, the vehicle assembly plant will have the capacity to build 150,000 Nissan LEAF electric cars per year, and the new plant will have an annual capacity of 200,000 batteries."

Update on Nissan Leaf e-car in TN

The Times Free Press provides an update on plans for the Nissan Leaf to be test-introduced in Tennessee. The story's here.

'Cash for Volts'

Nissan is among the players in the new Electrification Coalition calling for federal subsidies for providing incentives for building the e-car charging infrastructure and purchasing e-cars. Design News reports, as does The Washington Post.

Nissan-Reliant

Nissan said in a release today, "The Renault-Nissan Alliance today announced that Nissan and Reliant Energy of Houston, Texas, one of the major competitive electricity providers in the nation, have forged an agreement to advance zero-emission mobility in the United States. The announcement helps pave the way for the 2010 introduction of Nissan LEAF, the industry’s first all-electric, zero-emission car designed for the mass market. The company expects to begin sales in late 2010. Reliant is a subsidiary of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NRG), one of the largest electricity generators in the United States..." The announcement precedes the Leaf's zero-emissions tour.

Nissan impact questioned

In Murfreesboro, Gannett's Daily News Journal reports that a consultant's estimate of jobs and economic benefit flowing from Nissan e-car and battery-making operations in the region was overstated, at least in the view of MTSU Economist David Penn.

e-Car grid in TN

The Tennessean reports (Oct. 11) on the challenges ahead for recharging e-cars in Tennessee.

U.S.-China e-Car forum

The Department of Energy reports on the concluding of the first-ever U.S.-China Electric Vehicle Forum, the latest fruit of a several decades of normalized relations between the two superpowers, which together produce 40 percent of the world's greenhouse gases.

e-Car industry power grab

Addressing an issue closely followed by Tennesseans and their Governor, the Columbus Dispatch reports that the advent of rechargeable e-cars will require building at least 160 new power plants. The story also discusses relationship to the smart grid, a new power plug that speeds e-fueling and reports data, and more.

Tesla accelerates

The Mercury News reports electric automaker Tesla is expanding its Bay Area footprint to accelerate its R&D and manufacturing of ion-lithium batteries and related technologies for use in its own line of vehicles and for other automakers. Tesla Motors will be closely watched, no doubt, by Nissan, et al. That's the charging port for a Tesla, at left.

e-Vehicle chargers at Metro campus

Coulomb Technologies announced today that the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County is the first municipality in the State of Tennessee to install and deploy ChargePoint™ Networked Charging Stations for plug-in electric vehicles. The charging stations are in the 700-space garage on Metro's Fulton Campus.

NEWS: Piloting e-car charge-ups in Tennessee

The U.S. Department of Energy and Phoenix-based Electric Transportation Engineering Corporation (eTec, a sub of ECOtality, OTCBB:ETLY) announced today that Nashville, Chattanooga and Knoxville will be pilot cities for deployment of charging infrastructure to support Nissan's LEAF EV. The corporate release is here. Related story, News Sentinel. DOE release here. List of all related Stimulus funding winners.