Electric vehicle drivers in and around Moore County may soon have fast-charging options closer to home. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) announced this week that it has awarded approximately $2.7 million in grants to install fast chargers along eight prioritized highway segments statewide — segments that, according to the state’s infrastructure gap map, include the Fayetteville and Tullahoma areas, the two closest identified sites to the Lynchburg market.

The funding comes from Tennessee’s share of the Volkswagen Diesel Settlement Environmental Mitigation Trust, the pool of money created after Volkswagen settled allegations that it violated federal clean air standards. TDEC administers the state’s allocation, and this competitive grant program marks the state’s sixth solicitation for projects under the trust, which is designed to fund projects that reduce nitrogen oxide emissions.

Four grantees — PowerUp America, Shorepower Technologies, the Town of Thompson’s Station and Universal EV — will install 22 direct current fast charging units at eight sites across the state. Collectively, the projects address each of the eight highway segments identified on the interactive infrastructure gap map TDEC released with its 2025 solicitation. That map highlighted stretches of Tennessee’s highway network still lacking fast-charging infrastructure and not covered by buildout plans under the federal National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, which focuses on interstates and most of U.S. Highway 64.

For local drivers, the gap-map designation matters. Moore County sits between the interstate corridors that federal NEVI dollars prioritize, meaning the state and regional highways residents actually drive — including the routes connecting Lynchburg to Fayetteville and Tullahoma — have largely been left out of the first waves of charging investment. The Fast Charge TN program was built specifically to fill those holes.

The program is a partnership between TDEC and the Tennessee Valley Authority aimed at deploying fast chargers at least every 50 miles along interstates and major highways across TVA’s seven-state service territory. Since the first round of awards in 2022, the partnership has completed fast-charging sites at 45 locations statewide as of July 2026, with several Round 1 projects still in development.

“As Tennessee continues to grow and lead the nation in innovation, there is more demand to serve motorists with electric vehicles,” said TDEC Commissioner David Salyers. “The projects funded by these grants will help Tennessee stay ahead of that demand and continue to be a leader in balancing the economic growth of our state while conserving our precious natural resources.”

TDEC has not yet published site-level details specifying which grantee will build at which location, exact addresses or construction timelines. The Lynchburg Times has requested that information and will update this story when it is available.

Announcements on future funding programs under the settlement trust will be shared by the department. Additional information on the Volkswagen settlement is available on the TDEC website. •

About the Lynchburg Times: The Lynchburg Times is Moore County’s locally owned, independent news source and the only Lynchburg media source own by a Lynchburg native. We are also one of the few women-owned media organizations in the state. Our reporting is supported by readers, small business partners, and underwriters who believe community journalism matters. If this story was valuable to you, consider becoming a supporter at lynchburgtimes.com.