Midwestern States Announce Electric Vehicle Charging Partnership

ILLINOIS — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday announced a partnership with four other Midwestern states to collaborate on a regional network of electric vehicle charging stations.

The Regional Electric Vehicle for the Midwest memorandum of understanding seeks to accelerate electrification of vehicles across the region, its signers said. The initiative will "safeguard economic security, grow jobs, futureproof interstate commerce, reduce harmful emissions, improve public health, and advance innovation," according to a news release.

In addition to Illinois, the bipartisan agreement includes Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The states will collaborate to grow the region's share of electric vehicles and promote clean energy, according to the memorandum.

“Illinois’ Climate and Equitable Jobs Act puts us on track to be the best state in the nation to manufacture and drive an electric vehicle — but we’re just getting started, and the work doesn’t stop at our state borders,” Gov. Pritzker said in a statement. “By working together with our Midwestern neighbors, we can accelerate the region’s growth in the transportation sector, create jobs across our communities, and prioritize the environment that makes the Great Lakes region so great along the way.”

According to the memorandum, improving access to charging infrastructure will reduce "range anxiety" among consumers and support the adoption of American-made EVs. The regional partnership will coordinate on best practices and standardization across the region, the news release said.

The Midwest partnership will leverage the region's role as a shipping and logistics hub and initially focus on interstates and commercial corridors. The news release said the partnership hopes to make the region more competitive for medium- and heavy-duty electric trucks and vans. It also hopes to position the region to compete for federal funding from a potential infrastructure bill, currently stalled in Washington.

“As the Crossroads of America, transportation plays a vital role in Indiana’s economic success and continued growth,” said Indiana 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 futureproof our transportation network and meet the demand as rapid adoption of electric vehicles continues.”

Automaker Ford announced this week an $11.4 billion investment in three battery factories and an electric truck plant, pledging to create about 11,000 jobs over the next four years. Likewise, General Motors has said it plans to launch 30 new electric models by 2025 and go entirely electric by 2030. GM has pledged a $27 billion investment in EVs over the next decade.

Smaller EV start-ups like Rivian, Lucid, Lordstown Motors and Canoo also plan to offer their own American-made models in the next few years.

The regional partnership estimates the EV charging sector will create about 105,000 jobs by 2030, many of them in the Midwest.