Chuck Hutton Toyota is setting a new standard for what public EV charging can be

Young Kim, who just celebrated 25 years as dealer principal, designed Electri-CITY Park around a simple idea: make the wait worth it. (3 min. read)

Author

Ash Savage
April 30, 2025

Electri-CITY Park at Chuck Hutton Toyota

Memphis is now home to one of the largest public EV charging hubs in the country—and it’s all because Young Kim, owner of YK Auto Group and dealer principal at Chuck Hutton Toyota, decided comfort and community were just as important as charging availability.

The move: On April 22, Chuck Hutton Toyota opened its Electri-CITY Park—a solar-powered, off-grid EV hub that’s more rest-stop-meets-luxury-lounge than a forgotten row of chargers on a lot.

  • Phase one of the park’s reveal just wrapped. And by the end of May, 12 EV charging stations should go live, Kim told CDG News.

  • The entire park also runs off a custom solar farm from Freedom Solar Power—which fuels both the dealership and the chargers, while tracking carbon offsets in real-time.

And that’s just the infrastructure…

Electri-CITY also offers a full-service stop with everything from TVs and lounges to modern restrooms and cubicles for remote workers. Oh, and a dog park.

EV driver or not—it’s a flex.

Digging deeper: Kim, who just celebrated 25 years as dealer principal, designed Electri-CITY Park around a simple idea: make the wait worth it.

And even with shrinking charging times and tech advancements like solid-state batteries, he says the mission hasn’t changed.

In his words: “ If you want to wait around 10 minutes for solid-state, get an 800-mile range and hit the road—you can do that. Or, if you wanna stick around and see the area, the dealership, or the park, you can do that too.”

Worth noting: Electri-CITY Park isn’t tucked away out back.

  • The hub is planted front and center on Chuck Hutton Toyota’s 30-acre property—and you literally have to drive past it to reach the showroom.

  • And Kim said shoppers have taken note, with interest peaking daily as the project takes shape.

It’s a visual value-add, a built-in conversation starter—and an EV pitch waiting to happen.

And that’s just phase one: Phase two is set to bring a multi-sport field for soccer and football—rentable by local youth teams—making it a charging station that supports actual connectivity. Literally and figuratively.

Looking ahead: This isn’t just about selling EVs—it’s about making shoppers want to drive them. And on Kim’s lot—they’ve checked the buyer's biggest box (charging availability), added a few more, and checked them off too.

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