Six major utilities unveiled a plan Tuesday to add electric vehicle fast chargers to connect major highway systems across the U.S.
The Electric Highway Coalition – made up of American Electric Power, Dominion Energy Inc., Duke Energy Corp., Entergy Corp., Southern Co. and the Tennessee Valley Authority — is looking to provide charging stations within the utilities’ service territories, stretching from the South and Gulf regions to the Midwest and Central Plains.
The initiative comes as President Joe Biden has made boosting electric vehicles a top priority and pledged to build 550,000 new EV charging stations. Automakers including Tesla Inc., BMW and General Motors plan major expansions in EV production.
“The path to cleaner transportation is a robust charging infrastructure along the nation’s major highways,” said Lang Reynolds, director of electrification strategy for Duke Energy. “Range anxiety is a barrier to more EV adoption. This coalition can erase those obstacles and help deliver the benefits of EV ownership to consumers.”
American Electric Power said it’s working with select customers across its service territory to help them understand the benefits of electrifying their own vehicle fleets.