E&ENews outlined the Midwest states looking to create regional EV charging network, quoting Ryan Gallentine on the region's critical EV manufacturing.

CLIMATEWIRE | The governors of Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois are teaming up to build an electric vehicle charging network across the Midwest.

Their plan, the Regional Electric Vehicle Midwest Coalition (REV Midwest), aims to accelerate fleet electrification along key commercial corridors, boost regional economic development and curb heat-trapping pollution that drives climate change. Transportation is the single-largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the country...

The bipartisan agreement would create jobs and improve public health, its supporters say, while also helping the region compete for private investment and federal funding. The bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure package making its way through Congress currently includes $7.5 billion for electric vehicle charging.

The plan comes as President Biden and the auto industry are throwing their weight behind the adoption of electric vehicles...

In addition, the plan outlines a path to accelerate infrastructure development for medium- and heavy-duty EVs and standardize regulations and operations across state lines.

“Given the region’s critical role in the manufacturing and distribution of goods across the country, it makes sense to take a collaborative approach on commercial vehicles in particular to ensure that fleet operators have the right economic and policy frameworks to electrify,” Ryan Gallentine, a policy director at Advanced Energy Economy, wrote in an email.

”Instead of five different states with all different kinds of charging policies and experiences, this agreement sets up the opportunity to create a better experience for all drivers, particularly for drivers who frequently cross state lines,” he said...

Gallentine said the framework could serve as a model for other economies and communities that cross state lines.

“Barring a federal framework created by Congress, the REV Midwest can be a model for other regions with close economic ties,” he said. “For example, a Georgia-based goods distributor using an electric fleet would benefit from a similar charging landscape in neighboring Florida.”

He added: “The bipartisan coalition of governors is a reflection that the economic opportunity to invest in a 21st century electric transportation system crosses both state lines and political party.”