Technology-Enhanced
Advanced Mobility
About TEAM TN
The Technology-Enhanced Advanced Mobility in Tennessee (TEAM TN) Engine is a coalition of 250 stakeholder organizations with a shared vision and commitment to create a thriving advanced mobility innovation ecosystem that simultaneously strengthens Tennessee’s leadership in the global innovation economy, safeguards the health of our planet, and enhances the quality of life for all Tennesseans.
Tennessee’s diverse communities will prosper, thanks to opportunities created by access to a strong innovation economy that creates good jobs and supports Tennessee families.
Diverse, world-class workforce
Leading research and education institutions
Considerable quality-of-life amenities
Business-friendly climate
Three Core Goals
- Position Tennessee as a global leader in the mobility innovation economy
- Diversify Tennessee’s innovation economy by strengthening information and communication technology (ICT) talent and industries
- Create mutual and reciprocal benefits for Tennessee’s innovation industries and diverse communities and residents
The Story of Advanced Mobility in Tennessee
In the last two decades, Tennessee’s innovation economy has grown considerably based on its long-standing manufacturing and computing strengths and the recent emergence of an automotive manufacturing supply chain specializing in electrification. Four OEMs with EV and/or battery operations are in Tennessee: Nissan North America, General Motors, Volkswagen Group of America, and Ford. Our region is now the largest manufacturer of electric vehicles in the U.S. Southeast and the fourth-largest vehicle producer in the country.
Tennessee is also home to the world’s fastest supercomputer, Frontier, at Oak Ridge National Lab. According to the Department of Energy, supercomputers are increasingly used to identify solutions to real-world mobility and transportation energy efficiency challenges.
Despite these strengths, there is little industrial R&D presence in the region, and gaps in workforce development limit Tennesseans’ ability to take advantage of this sector and improve their economic trajectory. TEAM TN seeks to change that.
June 1983
Nissan opens its first North American factory in Smyrna
July 1990
General Motors begins production at its Spring Hill facility
May 1992
Oak Ridge National Lab launches the Center for Computational Sciences, delivering supercomputers of unprecedented capability to the scientific community on behalf of the U.S.
July 2008
Volkswagen of America selects Chattanooga for its $1 billion, 1,400-acre assembly plant campus
September 2010
Chattanooga dubbed the “Gig City” after being the first city in the Western Hemisphere to offer one gigabit-per-second fiber internet service to all residents and businesses
December 2012
Nissan opens the country’s largest lithium-ion automotive battery plant in Smyrna
January 2013
Nissan begins producing all-electric LEAF at its plant in Symrna
January 2015
The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) is established and headquartered in Tennessee. It is one of 17 Manufacturing USA institutes created to help revitalize U.S. manufacturing. IACMI is led by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and managed by Collaborative Composite Solutions Corporation (CCS)
2018
The Center for Urban Informatics and Progress (CUIP) at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), the city of Chattanooga, the Enterprise Center and the Electric Power Board (EPB) form the Chattanooga Smart Community Collaborative to use AI to improve traffic flow, track air quality, increase access to public transportation and collect data sets in real-time
January 2019
Former Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe announces the state’s goal of becoming America’s top electric vehicle producer
January 2020
Volkswagen Group of America announces its first North American Innovation Hub in Knoxville, Tennessee, at the UT Research Park to develop lighter vehicle components made from composite materials and to electrify vehicles
April 2021
Ultium Cells, a joint venture of LG Energy Solution and General Motors, announced a $2.3 billion investment to build a battery cell manufacturing plant in Spring Hill
February 2021
The Tennessee Valley Authority and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation partner to develop a statewide EV fast-charging network
September 2021
Ford Motor Company and SK Innovation announce a $5.6 billion EV investment in West Tennessee called BlueOval City
March 2022
General Motors begins retail production of the 2023 Cadillac LYRIQ at its Spring Hill assembly plant
May 2022
ORNL’s Frontier supercomputer debuts as world’s fastest, breaking exascale barrier
July 2022
Volkswagen of America began U.S. production of EVs at its plant in Chattanooga
June 2023
National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan announces the launch of TEAM TN, a statewide initiative to advance mobility led by UTK and funded by NSF
July 2023
Volkswagen Group of America’s Knoxville Innovation Hub reveals research breakthroughs to increase EV range and recycle vehicle materials
September 2023
Governor Bill Lee and TNECD Commissioner Stuart McWhorter establish the Transportation Network Growth Opportunity (TNGO) to encourage industry investment in R&D and de-risk mobility technologies that promise competitive advantages for TN companies.
December 2023
Pilot Travel Centers, General Motors, and EVgo open the first of 17 locations for their national EV fast-charging network
January 2024
TEAM TN hosts the inaugural TEAM TN Summit in Cleveland to gather and share progress toward positioning Tennessee at the forefront of transportation electrification and digitization
March 2024
ORNL researchers achieve the highest wireless power transfer level for a light-duty passenger vehicle
May 2024
TEAM TN hosts the second TEAM TN Summit in Memphis, convening hundreds of advanced mobility leaders from across the state
June 2024
The University of Memphis receives a National Science Foundation award to establish the Center for Electrified and Automated Trucking (CEAT)
June 2024
Motlow State Community College announces partnership with Nissan North America and Eaton to train future electric vehicle technology workers
June 2024
Tennessee College of Applied Technology at Stanton opens the state’s newest $60 million, 120,000 square-feet campus to train employees of manufacturers located at the West Tennessee Megasite industrial complex, including Ford’s BlueOval City
