Governors from the neighboring states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin signed an agreement Friday to collaborate on an EV charging network across the Midwest to support electric car sales, reduce harmful emissions, and protect public health.

The bipartisan partnership, called REV Midwest — the Regional Electric Vehicle Midwest Coalition, also hopes to ensure the entire Midwest region is able to effectively compete for new private investment and federal funding for vehicle electrification.

"The Midwest has the ingenuity and the drive to develop innovative solutions to curb climate change," said Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Building on the automotive history of expertise in the Great Lakes Region, REV Midwest members will coordinate to improve access to charging infrastructure and reduce range anxiety by coordinating to optimize charging infrastructure, cooperate on best practices, and support standardization.

An estimated 105,000 new jobs in the utility sector are anticipated to be needed to deploy EV charging infrastructure by 2030. The states will work together with industry to understand future workforce needs and support workforce training programs to build the transportation system of the future.

The network will initially focus on interstate and regionally significant commercial corridors and creating publicly accessible charging opportunities on interstate freeways. It also focus on serving MHDV (medium heavy-duty vehicles) to leverage its existing role as a shipping and logistics hub.

One benefit of the initial focus on MHDVs will be to reduce pollution in communities located near freight and shipping facilities and along transportation corridors, where nearby communities are harmed by emissions.

"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," said Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. "By working together with our Midwestern neighbors, we can accelerate the region's growth."

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