Smart Modal Area Recharge Terminal for Knoxville

With the first electric vehicles making their way into the garages of US customers, the battle for supremacy has moved to the streets, where charging solutions providers are doing the best to be the first to install their stations at each street corner.

In Knoxville, the battle will be waged under the imposing shadow of the Smart Modal Area Recharge Terminal (SMART), a device created by the Electric Power Research Institute and the Tennessee Valley Authority which is hoped will dwarf all others in terms of efficiency and power.

SMART has been built to use the sun's power to charge the batteries of the vehicles which pull by its side. Equipped with its own energy storage system, the station can store 5 kilowatt-hours of power per charging space (SMART has 10 such spaces, meaning it can charge 10 cars at a time).

"Electricity as a transportation fuel can benefit the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and it can save consumers money by lowering their driving costs," said Anda Ray, TVA senior vice president of Environment and Technology.

"These all-in-one charging stations are important to the development of electric vehicles and also to TVA's goal to provide cleaner, low-cost energy."

The station will soon enter a field trial, which will last for in between three to six months and during which TVA will asses the requirements of installing more such units. The goal is to have stations installed in Knoxville, Chattanooga and Nashville, for starters, with a total of 125 charging points offered.