An association of the nation’s investor-owned utilities announced that 53 of its members are joining forces to invest in a national electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
The Edison Electric Institute announced the formation of the National Electric Highway Coalition, which merges the Electric Highway Coalition and the Midwest Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Collaboration and now includes additional participating electric companies from across the country. Currently consisting of 51 investor-owned electric companies, one electric cooperative, and the Tennessee Valley Authority, the coalition is committed to providing electric vehicle (EV) fast charging ports that will allow the public to drive EVs with confidence along major U.S. travel corridors by the end of 2023.
“EEI and our member companies are leading the clean energy transformation, and electric transportation is key to reducing carbon emissions across our economy,” said EEI President Tom Kuhn. “With the formation of the National Electric Highway Coalition, we are committed to investing in and providing the charging infrastructure necessary to facilitate electric vehicle growth and to helping alleviate any remaining customer range anxiety.”
To date, EEI’s member companies have invested more than $3 billion in customer programs and projects to deploy EV charging infrastructure and to accelerate electric transportation. As EV sales continue to grow, EEI estimates that more than 100,000 EV fast charging ports will be needed to support the projected 22 million EVs that will be on U.S. roads in 2030.
“By merging and expanding the existing efforts underway to build fast charging infrastructure along major travel corridors, we are building a foundational EV charging network that will help to encourage more customers to purchase an electric vehicle,” said Kuhn. “We owe a great deal of gratitude to the electric companies that created so much momentum at the regional level, paving the way for us to expand this effort nationally.”
The auto industry is committed to vehicle electrification and will invest over $330 billion in the technology by 2025. EEI member companies also are electrifying their own fleets.
