Research Consortium To Use TVA Electric Vehicle Facility
June 1, 2006

Congressman Zach Wamp announced on Thursday a new research partnership between the Tennessee Valley Authority, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Advanced Transportation Technology Institute that he said will propel Chattanooga into a leadership role in the development of alternative fuel and hybrid transportation.

This special event was held in conjunction with the Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit at the new facility located off of Amnicola Highway, adjacent to Chickamauga Dam.

TVA constructed a research and development user facility for electric vehicles in 1981 on its site adjacent to Chickamauga Dam. The site has previously been utilized as a fabrication site by TVA contractor but has been licensed for use as a test track for ATTI for the past several years.

The applied research partnership, known as Advanced Technologies for Transportation Research Program (ATTRP), develops and deploys transportation technologies that utilize clean and secure sources of energy.

Past TVA Board Chairman Bill Baxter said, “Through the efforts of TVA combined with efforts of UTC, ATTI and others this facility will provide a research base for current and vital research.”
 
Instability in the Middle East and disruptions in America’s domestic oil supply have spurred national debate about U.S. dependence on foreign petroleum, officials said. For years, forward-thinking leaders have been encouraging the development of alternative fuels and operating systems for vehicles, and now fluctuating gasoline prices have consumers supporting the idea, it was stated.

The new consortium will bring a renewed mission to the electric vehicle facility located at TVA’s Chickamauga Dam location, officials said. Researchers will study fuel efficiency, endurance, steering, along with other performance variables in vehicles.

“This facility can be a leader for all types of next generation vehicles,” said Congressman Wamp. “There are all types of opportunities for this one mile test track.”

UTC Chancellor Dr. Roger Brown said, “Consider that today, we are announcing a partnership between this region’s comprehensive institution of higher education, a non-profit organization dedicated to the development of clean and efficient fuel, and the nation’s largest public producer of power.”

Congressman Wamp quoted Os Guinness saying, “The power to convene is greater than the power to legislate.”

Event participants had the opportunity to drive test vehicles around the one mile track.