NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — With more electric vehicles (EVs) on the roadways, more EV charging stations are opening in Middle Tennessee. The ribbon was cut on a new location Thursday morning in Madison.

New electric vehicle charging stations are now open in Madison at the Serra Chevrolet Buick GMC. It’s all part of a plan by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Nashville Electric Service to bring more EVs to the area as they grow in popularity nationwide.

“We’re almost becoming the electric vehicle belt,” said Justin Maierhoffer, the vice president of government relations for the TVA. “The fast charge network places public fast chargers at least every 50 miles along the interstates and major highways in our seven-state service areas in the next five years.”

The new fast chargers are a part of a pilot program with five planned sites in Metro Nashville. According to the TVA, our region leads in EV and battery manufacturing. Their goal is to get 200,000 vehicles out on Tennessee roadways by 2028. This goal might not be hard to reach considering EV sales have accelerated.

“As of today more than one million EVs have been sold in 2023, already surpassing 2022 sales. Investing in this fast-charging network signals our commitment to a world that’s less dependent on fossil fuels and are united in making Nashville a leader in innovative transportation,” said Mayor Freddie O’Connell.

Officials are confident the proximity of each charger will ease anxiety about running out of battery power while driving and add a local boost to the already growing economy in the state surrounding EVs.

“VW and Ford. Ford’s building blue oval city in West Tennessee and there’s a whole lot of interest from automobile manufacturers in EVs in Tennessee,” said Maierhoffer.