Page 6 - Mar-Apr2023 Vol40 No7

CHATTANOOGA By Lisa Hood Skinner
Downtown to be EV “Living Testbed”

Downtown Chattanooga is slated electric vehicle drivers to more easily (which total $45.2 million.) Improved
to become the nation’s largest electric find charging stations. These charging safety and mobility are key objectives in
vehicle (EV) “living testbed” due to $9.2 opportunities will be customized by the funded projects, involving the use
million in funding for a project that was location for drivers as a result of the of advanced intelligent transportation
proposed by the city and scientists at the networked system, which will “recognize” systems technology to provide
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga the charge level of individual electric multimodal transportation options and
(UTC) with municipal, private industry vehicles, volume and pace of traffic, and support underserved communities.
and research partners. electric grid power demand. The proposal’s development was led
The $9.2 million funding comes Scientists, politicians, engineers and by Osama Osman, Chief Scientist and
from a $4.5-million U.S. Department others are calling the testbed project a Smart Transportation Thrust Lead for
of Transportation (DOT) grant award, “game changer” which should transform UTC’s Center for Urban Informatics and
(which is the single-largest of its kind the city into a leader in EV deployment Progress (CUIP) and CUIP Founding
in UTC history), and an additional and EV charging management, while Director Mina Sartipi, also a Guerry
$4.7 million from industry partners, ushering in a myriad of other advanced Professor in the UTC Department of
UTC, Chattanooga city government smart transportation technology. Computer Science and Engineering.
and Electric Power Board (EPB), the Public Safety is Key to the Study Osman said the idea “is to connect
area’s energy and connectivity solutions “With three people moving into EV users to customized charging
provider. Chattanooga for every one person opportunities considering traffic
Enhancing Chattanooga’s Smart City moving out, it’s more important than conditions and electric grid status—
customized in the sense of the charging
Program ever for us to maximize traffic flow while station type, such as ‘fast’—and location
The historic U.S. DOT grant award is ensuring pedestrian safety,” said Tyson to be recommended to an EV user based
set to convert Downtown Chattanooga Morris, Chief Information Officer for on their current charge, how much time
into a “living testbed” connecting the City of Chattanooga. “When fully they have, real-time traffic status, and
electric vehicles to customized charging operational, Chattanooga’s end-to-end state of the electric grid.”
opportunities while taking into account transportation management system will
current traffic conditions and the electric allow us to shorten commute times, Groundwork Was Laid Pre-Pandemic in
grid status. reduce harmful emissions, and improve 2019
The award proposal, submitted by public safety - a triple win for our City.” Sartipi said the new project, based
Chattanooga’s Smart City program, calls Statewide, Chattanooga is the only site on a three-year plan, had its starting
for a networked system that enables awarded one of the 10 U.S. DOT grants point when the smart city testbed was

6 TPW March/April 2023