Drive Electric Tennessee

Throughout 2018, a core team of stakeholders—including State agencies (TDEC and TDOT), electric utilities, cities, universities, electric vehicle OEMs, businesses, and advocacy groups—worked together on the development of a shared vision for electric transportation in the state, which includes goals and guiding principles for increased electric vehicle adoption over the next 5-10 years. Together, these stakeholders comprise Drive Electric Tennessee (DET), a statewide electric vehicle consortium. Learn more about DET at www.DriveElectricTN.org.

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Electric Vehicle Roadmap  

On January 18, 2019, DET released the first edition of its Electric Vehicle Roadmap for the state. The Roadmap establishes a goal to increase EV adoption to 200,000 EVs by 2028 and identifies projects and initiatives for local stakeholder implementation that will increase EV adoption across multiple use cases and sectors in Tennessee. The various initiatives fall under four broad opportunity areas: Charging Infrastructure, Consumer Awareness, Vehicle Availability, and Supportive Programs and Policies. View the original DET Roadmap (archive). 

On May 12, 2026, TDEC OEP and DET released an updated strategy to guide Tennessee's electric transportation future. The 2026 Roadmap for Electric Vehicles in Tennessee builds on progress since the initial strategy was implemented in 2019, incorporating updated industry data and lessons learned in project implementation to clarify priorities and guide action across Tennessee over the next 10 years. The updated Roadmap includes new and expanded goals for transportation electrification, including a goal to support the deployment of 750,000 light-duty EVs in Tennessee by 2035.

The 2026 Roadmap not only considers light-duty electrification but also addresses goals and activities for other areas of interest, including medium- and heavy-duty vehicle electrification; infrastructure deployment; and emerging technologies (such as second-life battery use, battery recycling, bi-directional charging, and smart charge management technologies). The 2026 Roadmap is designed to guide collaborative action that supports continued EV growth. DET encourages involvement among partners and the public through DET membership or direct participation in its working groups and local DET chapters. While the Roadmap provides a long-term framework for priorities surrounding Tennessee’s EV adoption, the identification and completion of work is a dynamic, ongoing effort.

Statewide Electric Vehicle Charging Needs Assessment

Following the release of the Roadmap, DET’s Charging Infrastructure Availability committee conducted a Statewide EV Charging Infrastructure Needs Assessment to evaluate the condition of Tennessee’s current EV charging infrastructure and to identify charging needs and potential geographic locations to support the adoption of 200,000 EVs in Tennessee by 2028.

The Needs Assessment, published on November 18, 2019, concluded that additional EV charging infrastructure was needed on highway corridors to relieve range anxiety and to connect rural and urban areas; highway corridor charging was identified as the best candidate for public investment, whereas other EV charging use cases (e.g., community charging, workplace charging, residential or multi-unit dwelling charging) were identified as good candidates for private or public-private investment based on market attractiveness and anticipated utilization.

The following resources are also available: 

• Needs Assessment Executive Summary (archive) 
• Needs Assessment Presentation Slides (archive) 
  

Tennessee 'Drive Electric' Specialty License Plate

Registering for a 'Drive Electric' plate will help promote EVs throughout Tennessee and show your support for the DriveElectricTN mission. The proceeds from these specialty license plates will be used to fund DET’s projects and programs.

To get your own ‘Drive Electric’ license plate, you must first be a resident of Tennessee. The only way to acquire a specialty license plate in Tennessee is to visit your local county clerk’s office. At that time, you should have the opportunity to request a ‘Drive Electric’ license plate. You will need to pay the additional specialty license plate fees along with any other registration and county related fees. If your local county clerk’s office does not have any plates in stock, they will need to order the specialty plates from the TN Department of Revenue. Please let Drive Electric Tennessee know if you have any trouble obtaining a license plate.

To learn more about the program, visit the DET license plate website or email info@driveelectrictn.org.