Chattanooga Launches Solar-Electric Car-Sharing Program

An electric vehicle car-share program in Chattanooga, Tenn., launched this summer as part of a combined effort between the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority, Tennessee Valley Authority, Electric Power Board and the California-based company GreenCommuter.

The first phase of the project included building 20 solar-assisted charging stations around the city that can each charge multiple cars. The program will rely on a fleet of all-electric Nissan Leafs.

“Chattanoogans should be proud of this agreement because we are the first medium-size city in the nation to implement an electric vehicle car-sharing system to reduce emissions and traffic congestion,” Brent Matthews, CARTA director of parking, told WVTC.

— Otto Solberg