The governors of five Great Lakes states, including Indiana, have agreed to collaborate on the development and installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure to help accelerate vehicle electrification across the Midwest.
The governors of five Great Lakes states have agreed to collaborate on the development and installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure to help accelerate vehicle electrification across the Midwest.
A memorandum of understanding signed last week by the leaders of Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota pledges a coordinated effort to optimize charging infrastructure, standardize regulatory schemes, and develop a common customer charging experience.
The nonbinding agreement also calls for shared efforts to advance clean energy and mobility manufacturing, grow the region’s share of electric vehicle production, and train workers for the electric vehicle jobs of today and tomorrow.
“As the Crossroads of America, transportation plays a vital role in Indiana’s economic success and continued growth,” said Gov. Eric Holcomb, a Republican.
“I’m proud to partner with our neighboring states to put the Midwest region on the leading edge of providing the charging infrastructure needed to future-proof our transportation network and meet the demand as rapid adoption of electric vehicles continues.”
An estimated 105,000 new utility sector jobs are expected to be needed to deploy electric vehicle charging infrastructure by 2030.
The agreement calls for initially focusing on the installation of publicly accessible charging facilities near interstate and regionally significant commercial corridors to help maintain the Midwest’s existing role as a shipping and logistics hub.