10/6/21 - Michigan plans regional EV charging network with four other states

The governors of five Great Lakes states, including Michigan, have signed an agreement to build a regional electric vehicle charging network.

LANSING, MI — (MLive) - Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin announced plans for the charging network, which aims to accelerate adoption of electric vehicles by reducing the distance drivers must travel in between stations that can recharge their battery.

The governor of each state signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday, Sept. 30 to build the Regional Electric Vehicle for the Midwest (REV Midwest) network.

According to the agreement, network states will cooperate on developing electric vehicle infrastructure along important corridors and standardize regulatory schemes to incentivize electrification of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDV) such as large pickup trucks and vans, delivery trucks, box trucks, buses and long-haul delivery trucks.

The goal is to boost private economic investment and employment while also deceasing the use of fossil fuels that contribute to global climate change. A Midwest charging network is also expected to help the region draw federal dollars for vehicle electrification that are anticipated as part of a $1 trillion infrastructure plan moving through Congress.

“Today’s REV Midwest partnership is a bipartisan effort to build the future of mobility and electrification and connect our communities,” said Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “Our partnership will enable the Midwest to lead on electric vehicle adoption, reduce carbon emissions, spur innovation, and create good-paying jobs.”

The agreement follows several EV-related announcements in Michigan last month, including plans to create a route of charging stations connecting coastal communities and tourism destinations along Lake Michigan.

At the Motor Bella auto show on Sept. 21, Whitmer announced plans to build the first segment of road in the U.S. that charges vehicles while they’re driving.

The charging network agreement also comes a day after Ford Motor Co. announced it would invest $11.4 billion and create 11,000 jobs building pickups and EV batteries at new plants in Tennessee and Kentucky — a decision the company said was based partly on factory site proximity to other EV sites, transportation and key services.

The plans are Ford’s largest ever manufacturing investment and the decision to build near Memphis has raised questions about Michigan’s readiness to compete for high tech automobile manufacturing and lead in the transition from gas powered to electric vehicles.

The recent EV announcements come amid a push by the Biden Administration to increase the number of electric vehicles as well as the infrastructure needed to support them.

In August, Biden announced that his administration wants half of all new vehicles sold by 2030 to be electric. Automakers have called for billions in government assistance to meet that goal. Presently, electric vehicles make up only about 2 percent of U.S. auto sales, which is well behind Europe and China.

In the REV Midwest announcement, Whitmer’s office noted that the transportation sector is a leading source of air, climate, and water pollution. Mass adoption of electric commercial fleet vehicles could help pollution in communities located near freight and shipping facilities and transportation corridors.