7 Western States Commit to Construct Electric Vehicle Corridor

October 31st, 2017 by Fiedler Group

On October 4th at an energy conference hosted by the National Governors Association in Salt Lake City, the governors of Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico and Wyoming signed a memorandum of understanding to provide a framework for creating a regional electric vehicle plan for the West.

The non-binding plan encourages the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs)by eliminating range anxiety for drivers along more than 5,000 miles of highway across east-west Interstates 10, 40, 70, 76, 80, 84, 86, 90 and 94, and north-south Interstates 15 and 25.

A news release from the Utah Governor’s Office of Energy Development stated, “With more than 20,000 electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids already on the roads in Western states, the electrification of these major corridors “is expected to reduce range anxiety and drive further adoption of EVs, while transforming the market to allow smaller communities to plug into the regional system.”

Dubbed the Regional Electric Vehicle West Corridor, the Memo of Understanding calls for a number of collaboration actions including:

  • identification and collaboration on funding opportunities to support the development of the Regional Electric Vehicle West EV Corridor
  • creation of minimum standards and procedures for charging stations
  • minimizing inconsistencies between charging infrastructure in each state, leverage economies of scale; and address range anxiety
  • identification and development of ways to include stations in planning and development processes, including building codes, metering policies and renewable energy projects.
  • Encouragement of EV manufacturers to market EVs within the signatory states

Commenting on the agreement Wyoming Governor Matt Mead noted “It is important for Western states to work together and prepare as the use of electric vehicles grows,” said. “This initiative encourages infrastructure plans that allow people with electric vehicles to visit and recreate in Wyoming. Strategically spaced charging stations will allow these visitors to enjoy the same independence as traditional vehicles.”

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