The Greening of Tennessee's Economy

Tennessee's economy stands to benefit from a new emphasis on green technology - particularly Electric Vehicles. Leading the way is Nissan North America, which will bring Nissan Leaf production to its Smyrna plant in 2012.

The construction process advances every day and the foundation is already laid, structure being erected and roof being installed. The battery plant will roll out 200,000 batteries per year while the adjacent vehicle assembly plant is scheduled to produce 150,000 electric cars per year. Nissan will invest up to $1.7 billion in the local facility, with $1.4 billion coming in the form of a loan from the US Department of Energy.

This project and the development of a local supply chain, can have tremendous impact on the state's economy and make Tennessee a leader in the green economy.

Check out this interview with Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan.