Season 1 Episode 1

Can your local electric provider handle the growing power demand of electric vehicles?

Amy Byers and Brandon Wagoner sit down with TVA's Drew Frye to discuss how the adoption of electric vehicles can impact the electric grid and what local electric providers are already doing to handle the increased power demand.

Guest: Drew Frye

Drew Frye leads the development of TVA’s Electric Vehicle (EV) programs. He coordinates programs and partnerships with EV stakeholders and regional Local Power Companies (LPCs) to remove the market barriers slowing EV adoption in the Tennessee Valley. Initiatives include charging infrastructure development, consumer awareness and education campaigns, supportive policy development and partnerships to drive electric vehicle availability and choices. His team is leading TVA’s “Fast Charge Network” program to assist Local Power Companies in deploying fast charging stations along interstates and major US and State highways across the seven states TVA serves.

Previously, he served in TVA’s research organization for 10 years with a focus on various distributed energy technologies. He is an advisor to the Electric Power Research Institute where he interfaces with active utilities from across the country on electric transportation collaborative research.

Reference Links:

Here's some more information you might find helpful to topics we referenced in this episode:

Programs or Information Mentioned in this Episode

• All About Electric Vehicles - TVA EnergyRight - MTE has partnered with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to provide electric vehicle resources and programs for our members. TVA has developed a fantastic resource page to help EV owners and prospective buyers find chargers, buying recommendations, and much more.
• EV Ready Home Charger Incentive - This new program helps members get their homes ready for electric vehicles (EVs) by encouraging members to install Level 2, or 240-volt outlets in their garage. To help offset this cost to our members, the EV Ready program provides residential members a $50 bill credit to go toward the installation of wiring to support Level 2 charging for electric vehicles.
• MTE's EV Car Club - Join MTE's EV Car Club. EV owners, enthusiasts, and anyone interested to learn more about electric vehicles are encouraged to sign up.
• MTE's DriveEV Initiative - MTE is helping members decide when or if they buy an electric vehicle. Our DriveEV initiative is one of the many ways we're providing members with reputable resources as they make decisions about what is right for their lifestyles.

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