The state is offering a rebate for electric vehicle charging at apartments and multi-family homes.
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation set up the new rebate program with funding from the automaker Volkswagen, as part of a decade-old settlement.
Volkswagen installed devices in its cars to cheat emissions tests between 2009 and 2015. The cars were marketed as “clean” diesel but were polluting at up to 40 times the legal limit for smog-forming nitrogen oxides.
After the scandal broke, a U.S. court ordered the company in 2016 to pay a nearly $15 billion settlement, part of which would be used on programs to lower pollution and support electric vehicles.
Tennessee has been using this funding on EV infrastructure for years. In 2021, the state and the Tennessee Valley Authority collaborated on a statewide network of fast charging stations, with Volkswagen covering a quarter of expected costs.
The new program offers EV charger rebates for apartments and houses with at least four units. Property managers and owners can get up to 60% of the cost covered for up to 10 chargers.
The transition to electric transportation has been gradually gaining in Tennessee, with EVs now representing about 5% of all new passenger vehicles sold.
U.S. adoption is closer to 10%, less than the global average of about 25%. Norway leads the global stats with EVs exceeding 90% of car sales. China recently hit 65%.
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