WILSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — An Australian company is not only making an impact in lowering carbon emissions but boosting our local economy.
The fast EV charging manufacturer, Tritium, opened their largest factory in the world right here in our back yard in Lebanon. And it’s not a flashy new toy. The shift away from gas is bringing big changes to Tennessee
“It is one of the most talked about topics, When you think about the environment and clean energy and where that conversation hits the dining room table,” Keith Hutchison, Tritium Chief People Officer said.
Tritium is hoping to expand that conversation after the white house announced President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law is investing $7.5 billion dollars in EV charging and over $7 billion in EV battery components. Last year, Tritium CEO and president Jane Hunter made this announcement alongside President Biden.
“With the help of the residents of Tennessee we will be building our largest factory globally right here in the united states,” Jane Hunter, CEO and President of Tritium said.
In August, the doors officially opened in Lebanon with News 2 cameras inside.
“By the end of the year we will be at 11,000 units, and about 6,000 of those, about over 60 percent of our global production, will come out of the Lebanon Tennessee facility,” Hutchison said.
Tritium’s fastest charges can provide up to 350 kilowatts of power to vehicles or 217 miles of range in ten minutes or less.
“One of the challenges that we have is range-anxiety. Where can I get access to an EV charger but then when I find one do I need to sit there for an hour or hour and half or more if I’m on my way to an engagement or an appointment. But the reality is the fast charging technology that we are producing at tritium is actually cutting down very significantly the amount of time that you will be charging your battery,” Hutchison said.
And you may have already seen the charging stations off the interstates at gas stations, shopping malls, or fast-food restaurants.
“We have of tens of thousands in the field and we are providing more than 20,000 charging sessions per day so it just gives some indication of the scale,” Hutchison said.
Meanwhile, the company is making a major investment in the city of Lebanon where they hired 300 employees so far.
“And the majority of this talent is from the local area.” “We underestimated how much our story our mission about electrifying transportation how much that resonated with the local workforce and wanting to be a part of something that really affects everybody,” Hutchison said.
He said Middle Tennessee is the perfect area to set up shop as Tritium is expected to make a nationwide impact.
“This last year has been such a springboard for what I think in the next few years you are going to see a continued set of success stories out of tritium and across the industry really on how we intend to meet the demand for electric vehicle chargers,” Hutchison said.
Last month, the company announced they plan to hire 750 employees in total.
The goal is to eventually manufacture 30,000 chargers a year out of the Lebanon plant.
