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Driving the Future (EVs and Beyond)

Join MTE's resident EV expert Heidi Zima as we discuss the current state of the EV industry, how MTE's NiteFlex rate provides optional savings for EV customers, and how to get involved with the EV Car Club!

Additional Links Referenced:

• MTE.com/MyEnergyPlan

MTE's Electric Vehicle Programs & Educational Resources

• https://mte.com/DriveEV — Hub for all things electric vehicles at MTE
• https://mte.com/EVCarClub — MTE-sponsored car club for EV owners and enthusiasts interested in building a community in Middle Tennessee
• https://mte.com/EVReady — $50 incentive for MTE members or homebuilders installing level 2 chargers at their homes

Copyright 2026 Middle Tennessee Electric

For example, we have our night flex rate for EV owners, and really it's incentivizing EV owners to charge when we're not at peak times.

And so that helps the non EV households, you know, keep the lights on and things of that nature.

So we're really trying to educate those EV owners that if you can switch to a plan like that that supports everyone, it's still important to be good stewards of the grid.

And that's one way that that looks.

Hi, I'm Amy Byers and welcome to MTE's Plugged in podcast where we bring good energy to every conversation.

As many of you know, if you've been with us for the last few years, the Plugged in podcast started out focusing on electric vehicles.

We have expanded the podcast to cover all things MTE and the communities we serve, but we are not going to leave electric vehicles completely.

So every now and then we're going to have an episode where we go back to our roots and we talk electric vehicles.

And this is one of those episodes.

So today I'm joined by Heidi zima, who is MTE's Service Excellence Strategist and also our resident EV expert.

So welcome to the podcast.

Thanks, Amy.

Yeah, so we're going to talk about EVs today.

First, before we do.

You've been with MTE for nine months.

I think at 10.

10 Months might be a few days.

There you go.

So 10 months and what have you.

What have you.

What do you think?

So what, what have you learned?

So you kind of came.

You came from the EV industry.

I did.

And then you're coming into the utility industry though.

How, how was that transition?

Did you learn anything?

You didn't realize what happened here or.

Yeah, I learned a lot.

I came from like retail and then the EV industry with Rivian, and so I didn't really know anything about utilities.

I didn't.

I learned a lot in the first, like two or three months.

Yeah.

And so there's still a lot that I don't know, but it's kind of fun to look back on, you know, June, July, August, when I was trying to figure out what a kilowatt hour is.

Right.

And now I can speak more eco friendly about that.

So, yeah, a lot of growth.

And you will continue to learn?

You know, I know I've been in the industry for 30 plus years and I'm always finding something new.

So you never know, you always are learning.

But let's talk about EVs.

What is going on in the EV industry right now?

Yeah, So I feel like there's a lot going on in the industry, especially since the $7,500 tax credit sunsetted last September.

So, you know, prior to that there was a large push for EVs.

A lot of OEMs, manufacturers were, their strategies were focused on going fully electric by a certain date.

And we've seen that shift.

And so while strategies are not solely focused on electrification, manufacturers are, you know, pivoting back to hybrids and plug in hybrids.

You have, you know, manufacturers like Ford who are discontinuing the lightning, but they're, they're trying new things with an extended range EV truck.

Yeah.

And so a lot of shifts happening there.

And I think the big, biggest thing to, to keep in mind is it's not necessarily the electrification that is shifting the strategy, it's affordability.

And so Honda and Chevy, they're shifting their strategy to building more affordable vehicles and more affordable EVs.

And so that's kind of what you're going to see in the next, in the next few years with that.

And you're still seeing, I mean, EVs are on the road.

Like I pass them all the time.

Like there's, you can go park at Kroger's and you're going to see 10 EVs.

I mean, so they are, they're still, I feel like maybe not as mainstream as, you know, the ICE vehicle, but, but they're still out there.

There's people are still wanting them.

Yeah.

So I, I, I think, and when you look back 10 years ago, I mean, technology's changing, you know, things are going to evolve.

And, and so I, I think, I think EVs are still here to stay.

They're definitely here today.

Defin.

EVs are definitely here to stay, but manufacturers are now just kind of shifting with the demand.

Right, right.

And so, you know, because they're becoming more mainstream.

You know, that was one of the things when we were talking about re launching our podcast for the season was because we were kind of running out of topics for, for, you know, to do a whole podcast just on evs, because they're kind of, you know, more readily available.

A lot of people have them.

It's not the latest and greatest anymore.

So, you know, just being able to talk about more things.

But then there's still stuff always happening.

So talk a little bit about how, with, with mte, what the impact and other utilities have when thinking about EVs.

Yeah, so you said it earlier, EVs are here to stay.

And so as MTE, or just as any electric utility, we need to plan for that growth with that growth in mind.

And so we are continuously doing that.

We are planning our service areas with the intention that we are going to continue to see EV growth, maybe not as robust as it was in the past, but it's still, they're still going to be here.

And so I think one of the things that we've been working really hard on since I, since I came on was educating EV owners, but also educating non EV owners about the impacts of EVs and how to be good stewards of the grid.

For example, we have our Netflix rate for EV owners, and while some people might not understand why that's important, really it's incentivizing EV owners to charge when we're not at peak times.

And so that helps the non EV household, you know, keep the lights on and things of that nature.

So we're really trying to educate those EV owners that if you can switch to a plan like that, that supports everyone and even if that plan doesn't work for you, it's still important to be good stewards of the grid.

And that's one way that, that looks and have options.

Exactly.

Though I think MTE is all about giving our, our members the power over their electric bill, you know, and having these options is good whether you're an EV owner or not.

You know, having the options that we have is, yeah, is good for our members.

So I know for me, my biggest hang up and those that have listened to the podcast for years know this is the range anxiety.

You know, it's always that, you know, you just can't pull into a gas station and fill up.

So how has the EV range evolved over time and kind of, where are we now?

Yeah, so I love having this conversation because I think still to this day there are people out there that are like, I can't drive an EV because I drive too much and the EV can only go around the parking lot.

And while that may have been almost true, you know, many years ago, we've definitely come a long way.

So the first EV was around 100 miles of range in a full charge.

And now the most common EVs are 300, 400 miles.

Yeah.

But you know, Tesla and the Chevy Volt, Chevy Bolt broke into that 200 range category.

And now again, you, almost any vehicle would, will come in a 300 plus range.

You can basically, because I know, you know, years ago this was the, the thing is you know, we, we're we're kind of a, a bedroom and a community of Nashville and a lot of our service territory.

You know, Wilson, Williamson, Rutherford, you know, we're these bedroom communities of Nashville.

And so it was that driving into Nashville and driving back.

You know, I commute to Nashville.

I can't have an, an EV.

But when you've got ranges in the 300, you know you can do that.

Oh yeah, you can every day.

Even if you.

Well, yeah.

And even if your work doesn't have charging stations, you know you're good.

Yeah.

So I think that opens it up a lot.

Did people I know.

My, my husband commutes to Franklin every day from Murfreesboro and I know he's kind of like, I need to get an E. Yeah.

So he's, he's kind of talking about.

It every time he goes to the gas station.

So.

Yeah, so there has been about range and everything.

There has been a big focus on public fast charging infrastructure.

I know, I'll just do a little MTE plug for everybody.

Rock, rail, pen and tandem.

Yeah, they're here.

We have fast charging stations at our Wilson county office in Lebanon, our Williamson county office in Franklin, and then our central office here in Murfreesboro.

So we're trying to.

And ironically, all three of those are off major interstates.

Yeah, we're 24, 65, 40.

We have them all covered.

So I'll do a little plug with that.

And now I'll let you answer the question on the public fast charging infrastructure.

Yeah, so I'll kind of just go through a history of it, just briefly.

In the early days charging and DC fast charging was.

It was a barrier because most of the fast charging out there was Tesla and not many vehicles, actually no vehicles at that time besides Tesla had access to those.

There were no adapters.

And so there was a recent pretty big push for expanding DC fast charging infrastructure, specifically building out the ccs so the non Tesla.

And it's the fact that you just mentioned our fast chargers on major corridors that was actually part of a grant with T. DEC and tva and there was a major push in the south for expanding charging infrastructures or DC fast charging stations along major corridors in this area.

And so that was part of that build out.

But now with most manufacturers switching to the North American charging standard, which is the Tesla port as an EV driver in almost any vehicle, you have access to any charging station.

Yeah, there are some limitations depending on your vehicle, but for the most part, if you have an adapter, you can go to Tesla or naan.

And so that has really expanded the availability and accessibility for DC fast charging.

So no matter where you are, there's.

You can find a charging station.

Yeah.

So our next topic is autonomous driving.

And.

And again, for those who have listened to the podcast before, know I've watched too many sci fi movies to be a fan of autonomous driving.

So.

But it's here.

And let's talk a little bit about that.

Yeah, so it's here, but it's not here in its full capacity.

By all means.

Like for Tesla there are like full self drive options, but they're still technically supervised.

So it's, there's a lot of research going on right now and a lot of continued development.

I will say Rivian is coming out with their R2 middle of this year and toward the end of the year they'll be rolling out an R2 with LiDAR.

And so.

So tell me what an R2 is.

Okay, so R2 is.

So Rivian's a fully electric OEM and it's just a smaller version of R1.

So it's a five seater SUV.

Think Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Okay.

Okay.

But electric.

Okay.

And so they'll be rolling out an R2 later this year with LiDAR cameras and sensors.

Okay.

And so they're going to be using all that different data to create or to continue moving forward with autonomous driving.

And along that note, you see you're hearing a lot more about autonomous like rideshare.

So they just partnered with Uber and toward the end of the decade they will be deploying about 50,000 fully autonomous Rivian R2s for Uber.

And so I know can be scary.

I.

When I test drove my vehicle, I.

The guy was like, you need to just do full self drive.

And I was like, I'm scared.

And I did it.

And it took, it took a few tries for me to really ask to, for me to really trust it.

Yeah.

And it really is a trust game.

But I mean the studies are out there and it really is safer in a lot of, in a lot of ways.

Especially with like that LIDAR radar.

It knows what's going on around you.

Yeah.

Before you know what's going on around you.

So safer in that way.

And in terms of like commuting and long distance driving, it really is a lot less stressful.

Yeah.

And you feel a lot more rested.

And so that's one huge benefit of autonomous driving.

But we're kind of in this place where it's available in some capacity, but we're definitely not we haven't seen the full.

I don't know.

I went to Nashville, it's been several months ago with Brandon, and it was a real foggy morning, and he was using his self, driving.

And I'm just like.

And he's just talking, and I'm just.

Like, do you need to be paying attention?

But he went more.

You know, it's like, it's, it's like you said, you, you, you, you develop that trust.

And he had it.

I did not.

So I was white knuckling and he was just chatting away.

Yeah, it was a, it was a, an interesting ride, but, yeah.

So what is next?

What's next for mte?

And, you know, the EV Car Club, it's still active and going, and we have our Facebook group for the EV Club, our EVA Car Club members.

So tell me a little bit about what's next.

Yeah, so I feel like that's a kind of a broad question I don't have a specific answer to, but I'll say that we're always researching, we're always trying to figure out what's next, what's up and coming and trying to be, trying to beat that, you know, be ahead of it.

And so, you know, there's conversations and communities about electrifying fleet transportation, electrifying things like buses and larger vehicles.

And so, like I mentioned before, we are planning for that growth.

And so part of that is if and when this happens, you know, we're starting to think about how do we need to build out to be able to support that.

And it happens.

And so I think we just remain opportunistic with all of the different opportunities and changes that are to come.

And for the EV Car Club, we're still up and running, we're still kicking.

Yeah.

And we just had our first meetup February, and that was a really great turnout.

We had our first event here at our Murfreesboro office, and we have some things planned for the summer.

Our supercharged Cruisin is coming to Williamson county in the fall.

So there's a lot of things, A lot of things planned.

Our members like to be involved and so trying to get as much feedback from them to see what they want.

They really do.

And, and I know you have done.

I mean, you know, we've established you've been here 10 months, and you've probably done more in 10 months than Brandon and I did and, you know, two years.

But, you know, with Brandon and I, you know, we, we, we did, we worked on the EVs, but we had other Responsibilities and other jobs.

And so having you come in and being that, go to person for EVs, and, and just, you know, getting the newsletter out regularly is great.

I mean, I think our, our members probably noticed a shift like, hey, we're getting this newsletter regular.

Well, that's you.

But we do do a quarterly newsletter.

We have the EV Facebook group, and then we have these meetups throughout the year, which is, which is great.

And so if anyone out there is interested in the EV programs, in joining the club, if you're not a member of the club and you want to join the club, the place to go is drive EV.com.

All information on our EV programs, the EV Car Club, everything you need is on drive EV.com so go there and,.

And also know you do not have to drive an EV to be a part of the EV Car club.

Yes, that's true.

It's for everyone.

You don't even have to have a car to be a part of the EV Car Club.

We just.

We just ask for an open mind.

If you're looking for a community, if you're looking to be a part of something, then there's a place for you.

We just happen to gather around EVs and talk about them.

But again, you don't have to have one to.

And to be more passionate about the.

And it's funny, you know, that the, the meetup we had a few months ago, you know, just listening to everybody talk about, well, my car does this and my car does that.

You know, it's just.

It's not.

They're not competitive, though.

They're now just enjoying the community and, and coming out and seeing everybody's cars and, and talking and it, and it's, it's fun.

You know.

This last one, I talked with a gentleman.

You know, he had been at the, the supercharged Cruise Inn when we had it in Lebanon.

Oh.

And I remember him there.

He had this beautiful Audi.

The green one.

No, no, at the, at Wilson.

It was like a. I don't even know.

It was almost like white.

Sometimes it looked white, sometimes it looked blue, sometimes it looked gray, like it was a beautiful car.

And he was at this one and he was talking to me, and I was like, I recognize him.

And I was looking around the parking lot.

Cause I associate people with their cars, and I didn't see a car recognized, you know, and he was like, I was.

The Audi.

I was like.

But he had gotten a new one.

He had moved on.

I think he had a BMW this time.

So.

It is funny seeing like now people are on their second and their third renditions and what they're going to bring to the party.

But yeah, definitely looking forward to this fall.

And we'll probably talk again before then.

Definitely about the the Cruise Inn.

And we always do a podcast at the Cruise Inn.

That's one of my favorite podcasts to do.

So Heidi, thank you so much for being here today and thank you for everyone who is listening.

For more information about MTE, you can go to mte.com if you have any questions.

Even for Heidi, I will make sure she gets the questions.

Or you have any topics you would want us to discuss on the podcast, you can email us@communicationste.com and until next time, stay plugged in and keep bringing good energy.