Welcome to season three of MTE's Plugged in podcast.

This season we will continue to explore the world of electric vehicles.

Whether you're a seasoned EV driver or you're just beginning your journey into electric vehicles, this podcast is for you.

For a more enhanced experience, be sure to watch the video version of this podcast that will be linked in the show notes.

Hello, everyone, and welcome to MTE's Playground Plugged in podcast.

I'm Amy Byers and I'm here with Brandon Wagner.

Hey, Amy.

And hello, everybody.

Today we're kicking off season three of the Plugged in podcast.

So we thought it'd be a good time to kind of recap what we're doing with the drive EV programs, including MTE's ev ready program and our nightflex rate.

It might be a good time to update everyone on that.

Yeah, and also we're going to chat with Rhett Miller today.

And Rhett is the digital media coordinator here at MTekhe, and he has actually taken over the production of our podcast.

So he's new to Mte and he's new to the EV world.

He has never driven an EV before, doesn't know a lot about it.

We're going to remedy that today, and then we're going to talk to him a little bit about his experience.

But first, let's get started with reviewing MTE's drive EV programs.

So first of all, we'll start with the EV ready program.

What is the EV ready program?

Yeah, well, MTE launched our ev ready program a few years ago, and it's a very simple, straightforward process where if you install a 240 volts service in your garage, you can fill an online form out and get $50 on your electric bill.

So it's a nice little adder.

We recognize there's some costs associated with installing a charger, and so we're hoping that this helps out with that a little bit.

And we actually, we're working with new homes as well as new homes are getting built, we're offering them a version of that as well.

So to apply for that, I know you said fill out a form.

Where's the form?

Yeah, just go to mte.com, evready or drivev.com and find there'll be a link there and you can submit the whole thing online.

So it's pretty easy and straightforward.

If you're in the middle of filling it out and you do have questions, don't hesitate to reach out to evcarclubte.com dot.

We're happy to help you okay?

And so another thing this is, it's been around for a little bit, but it's still a fairly new program is the Nightflex rate.

So we started that in the spring of 2023.

Why don't first give us a little bit of history about that rate, how it came about, and then we'll kind of talk about, does it work for people?

Are people saving money?

You know, just kind of give us that whole overview on the Nightflex rate.

One of the things I love about this podcast is it gives us a chance to have a peek behind the curtain and share a little bit about what we're focused on as a utility and as a cooperative.

We're always looking for ways to serve our members, make their lives better.

And at the same time, we're looking at EV as a very different technology.

It's the first technology where it doesn't really matter to the end user when it's charged.

All it really matters is when you get in it, you want it to be charged, but it's very different than heating, heating and air load, because if you're hot, you want that air conditioner turn on immediately.

So this is a dispatchable load.

And the technology allows us to program our cars to start charging at certain times.

And there is a way that is beneficial to the grid that if our EV drivers were to charge in this particular way, it would save us from having to go build a whole lot of extra infrastructure to serve.

It would get extra life out of the, the infrastructure we built.

And so we're trying to take some of that savings and then share that with the members.

So give them some pricing so that if they can move that charging overnight, then they can save some money on their bill.

So the way it's sort of, we've made this, it's the first rate like this in the Tennessee valley, and we wanted it to be simple.

So it's basically whatever the standard rate is for the month.

Let's just say $0.10 for the month is kind of around the average.

Then from 10:00 p.m.

to 04:00 a.m.

6 hours, you're going to get a three cent per kilowatt hour reduction of that.

So if it's $0.10 as the standard, you'll pay $0.07 during that window.

The rest of the day you're going to pay an extra penny.

So you'll pay $0.11 versus ten cents.

And what I've seen, we have 250 members right now that are on the rate and the savings are just sort of all over the place because different lifestyles, if you work from home or if you have gas heat or electric heat, all of that factors in.

But I'm seeing some people save up to 15% on their bill and some people like me, I think I saved the first twelve months I was on, I saved dollar 30.

So it's not, you know, it's not going to make me wealthy by any means.

But I wasn't inconvenienced by just setting my car to charge at 10:00 p.m.

and by the way, I don't have a level two charger, so that is just a level one charger.

And I had an extra $30.

So it's a convenient, simple.

What we try to do too is tell folks to try it for a month.

And then if you want to give us a call, we can run an analysis and sort of give you an idea of, of what your potential is.

And you know, there's other things you can do as well.

You know, I know dishwashers now usually have those delayed starts.

You know, if you could just like load it and then do that delayed start where it wouldn't start until you got into that time period, you know, other things like that.

Yeah, and I'm glad you said that because I didn't really do a good job of explaining it.

It is a whole home rate, so it doesn't look just that your ev charging load, and you don't have to have an EV to be on it.

There are several folks that they want it, and they came from a part of the country where they're used to shifting their energy usage and they don't have an EV.

And that's totally fine, but we want to be realistic about expectations in that sort of situation.

But yeah, I mean, outside of my Ev, I haven't really tried to do.

That to game the system.

I'm getting a little more part of it is I'm getting a little lazy.

So I'll kind of get my wash ready and I'll have it in the dryer and I'll just hit it right before I go to bed.

For information on the night, flex.

Right.

And if you have questions out there that I haven't thought to ask you, you can go to evcarclubte.com, comma, email those questions.

And there's a lot more information on the drivev.com page.

And speaking of the drivev.com page, that is the main resource for all things the EV programs that we have.

So you can get information on the night flex rate, you can get information on the EV ready program.

You can get model comparisons.

We actually link with TVA's EV site for a lot of this stuff.

And TVA has done a great job in some of the stuff they have done.

I know I got on that model comparison page and it goes for days.

Like I was like, oh my goodness, I had no idea.

And there were some, some makes that I had never even heard of before that they have got on there.

So definitely anything you could.

And they have like the, how, you know, the charge, how long of a charge you're going to have.

They have the prices on there.

So it's really a good, like one sheeter.

Well, it's more than one sheeter because you're scrolling for days.

But you know, a good at a glance look at, at model comparisons.

If you're, if you're in the market, there is also a link to find charging locations.

That's where the plugged in podcast lives.

So if you want a quick look at the plugged in podcast, you can go there.

And then if you are not a member of the EV car club and you would like to be a member of an EV car club, you can go.

And the information is on that page as well.

And then we also have links to a video series that TVA did with Ev's called in charge.

Amy, I'm glad you were sort of talking about all those things on that website.

One of the things that MTE is trying to do is position ourselves as a resource for folks that are thinking about EV's or have questions.

But we also, we want to be more than just a resource.

We really want to be a leader in this space.

So actually, I've heard that at least one other utility has adopted the night flex rate that we created.

I'm excited we're trying to pilot that or pioneer that effort in the valley.

But I also just want to make it clear because people might see that and think, well, we've done what we're going to do, and I don't think that's the case.

I see this as a starting line and not a finish line.

We are all the time researching other technology things and trying to figure out what other ways.

If the nightflix rate is not a rate that suits somebody, we're not going to say, well, that's all we have.

We're looking for other ways we can help our members save money and accommodate this charging load lifestyle that will benefit the grid.

So again, for any information, any questions, drivev.com or email us at the evcarclubte.com dot.

So now we're going to change directions a little bit, and we're going to take a quick pause and we're going to bring in Rhett Miller to the podcast.

So, Rhett, welcome to MtE's plugged in podcast.

And to the MTE, not only the MTE family, but the plugged in podcast and the Evcar club family.

So we're happy to have you.

You are our new, I don't know what, whether it be the production manager, video executive producer, all the things that is the Evdeenen podcast you're in charge of.

So we do, we do recordings like regular podcasts.

What people may not realize if they're just listening to us is we do a video of every single one of these podcasts as well, that lives on Middle Tennessee Electric's YouTube channel.

And this would be one of those that you would want to watch the video on because we did a little drive with you and there'll be some video of that.

But before we get into all of that, Rhett, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Thank you.

Thank you for having me.

I'm still pretty new to the MTE universe and definitely the EV Car club and podcast.

So I'm excited to be here.

Thank you for having me.

I've already learned a ton.

If you wanted a newbie on the show, you got one.

Because I don't know a whole lot about electric cars.

I already learned a lot and looking forward to learning some more.

Well, we did want a newbie, and we kind of, you know, we knew that.

And before I get to the next thing, did you know anything about Ev's?

What was your EV exposure before you started here?

Very little, I think.

You know, obviously, I've heard about them over the years, watched videos and my only physical reference point, I've ridden in the back of a Tesla for about five minutes one time.

So that was the extent of my knowledge.

That was it.

Well, before the Brandon, before the podcast, I took red out in a Ford lightning.

And so, and that's what I'm saying.

You need to go back and watch the video of this because we tried to get some footage of him getting in there.

And let's talk about that experience.

And I have to tell him a little bit.

The first thing we got in the, he's punching it, and I think he, like, started it and stopped it and started it and stopped it.

And he was like, is it on.

And I was like, yes, they don't make sound.

It's on.

So that's kind of how we started the ride along.

Like, you just had to push it once, but.

So tell us a little bit about.

Let's talk about our ride along.

So tell us your first impressions.

Yeah, well, when Amy says she took me out, she basically gave me the keys and said, you take me out, you're driving.

So I was like, I don't know if that's a good idea.

But the experience was kind of weird because the screens came on and it all appeared to be running, but there's no vibration.

I compared it earlier to Amy.

It's like a video game or something.

I feel like we're driving down the road and it's driving, but I don't have any of the sensations that I have associated all these years of driving a vibrating vehicle.

So it's kind of like a surreal experience in some regards.

Yeah.

And he said, you know, as we're riding along, he said that it's like a simulation, you know?

And we did get him.

You know, we were just kind of driving around this area, so we didn't have, like, you know, long places to go, but we got on a little stretch, and there didn't seem to be any traffic.

And so I was like, okay, punch it.

So you did?

Yeah.

That was something that I've heard a lot about it.

And I told Amy, sort of like, maybe you have some ice cream that you've never tasted.

And somebody was like, well, here's kind of what it would taste like, and you can imagine it, but until you actually taste it.

So to get to actually, I've heard about the punch.

Zero to 5 miles an hour was about the same feeling and sensation of five to 50 miles an hour.

Like, it just was so smooth.

And I'd heard about that, but now that I've experienced it, it really clicks what people are talking about.

And I can really associate the experience with the description now.

Yeah, that's one reason they do so many ride and drives, because if you talk to some of these manufacturers, they'll tell you the best sales tool they can do is get somebody to sit in it and try it out, because it's just.

There is no way to describe it until you do it.

Exactly.

So has your.

I don't know that you had an opinion before, but if you did, had that opinion changed any?

Yeah, no, I didn't really have any opinions either way, other than, like I said, it was really eye opening to get to put a sensational experience to what I'd heard.

I think I mentioned to you earlier, too, it's sort of like you have five senses.

And so all of my years of driving on the road, I hear the vehicle running, and I can feel it vibrating.

Two of those were taken away because there is no vibration, there's no noise.

And so it's just like a video game.

Like, I can see visually that we're driving down the road.

I'm turning the wheel.

This is real, but it doesn't feel to what it should feel like and be like.

It was just a very interesting experience.

And she said Ev's can spark like a Sunday joyride experience.

Yeah.

The thrill.

You know what I was telling me?

It's that joy of driving has kind of come back, you know, where people used to just go for a drive on a Sunday, you know that.

And I think Ev's are just.

They are fun.

You say it all the time.

It's all about fun.

It is.

And they are fun.

Well, I'm really glad that you're part of this team.

I know you and Amy get to work together more than I'll get to.

But for those that don't know how much work goes into every episode of this that Rhett does behind the scenes and just, I appreciate it.

It really makes Amy and I look better than we really deserve, but appreciate all the efforts.

And just in the short amount of time we got to know you.

I'm really glad you're part of the team.

Thank you for having me on.

I like to be behind the camera.

So, yeah, I was going to say that, I know I kind of had to twist your arm a little bit, and I appreciate you doing that, and I won't make you do this again.

But we are all very, very excited about season three of the plugged in podcast.

We have some great guests lined up with a lot of different interesting topics.

We've already filmed some episodes, so we just got a lot in store.

So make sure to tune in, make sure to check out our videos as well on the YouTube channel, and we'll start linking those videos in our show notes as well.

So you can go to the show notes and go to the video without having to really search for it.

We also are looking for ideas for podcasts.

I mean, we need to know what.

We need to know what you want to know about.

We can guess, we can think of it, but really, we want to make sure we're providing the information that people want to hear.

So if you have any ideas, anything you want us to talk about, just give us an email@evcarclubte.com.

thanks to everyone who was listening today.

If you have any questions about MTE's EV ready program, the Nightflex rate, the EV Car Club, or anything EV related, go to drivev.com or email us@evcarclubte.com.

until next time, plug in, power up and drive safe.