Michigan has signed an agreement with three other Great Lakes states to build and maintain a network of electric vehicle charging stations surrounding Lake Michigan.
The Memorandum of Understanding is between Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. It aims to create what state officials call an “electric Route 66” that covers more than 1,100 drivable miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, and “will provide electric vehicle drivers a long-distance vacation opportunity with no range anxiety, and no harmful emissions.”
Charging stations will be placed in state parks, at lighthouses, vineyards, and other attractions in coastal communities. Some already exist, and the plan is to install the others within the next few years.
In a statement, Governor Gretchen Whitmer said it will provide a boost for the budding EV market, as well as for the state’s economy.
“With this announcement, we are putting the country on notice that the Midwest is the place to be for clean energy and small business growth,” Whitmer said.
”The circuit will allow travelers to experience Lake Michigan and visit countless communities in and around the route," she said. "I am so proud that we came together to forge this bipartisan agreement. Let’s keep Michigan — and the Midwest — moving forward.”
