By Dr. Michael Torrence is president of Motlow State Community College and a TEAM TN workforce development working group collaborator.
Transportation electrification is Tennessee’s future.
Major automotive manufacturers are pivoting toward electric vehicles (EVs), battery suppliers are opening or ramping up operations in the Southeast — now seen as the nation’s “battery belt” — and Tennesseans are benefitting from high-paying green jobs.
Put simply, electrification offers endless opportunities for economic and community development in our state. After all, current Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development figures indicate that EV projects represent over $16.2 billion in capital investments since 2017, while the industry employs more than 20,800 Tennesseans.
