Governors from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin ThursdayÌýannounced the establishment of a partnership to collaborate on electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure across the Midwest region, signing the Regional Electric Vehicle for the Midwest Memorandum of Understanding (REV Midwest MOU).
The goal of the REV Midwest MOU is to collectively accelerate vehicle electrification in the Midwest Region.Ìý
REV Midwest will provide the foundation for cooperation on fleet electrification along key commercial corridors to safeguard economic security, grow jobs, futureproof interstate commerce, reduce harmful emissions, improve public health, and advance innovation.
The MOU also ensures the entire Midwest region is able to effectively compete for new private investment and federal funding for vehicle electrification.
“Illinoisâ€� Climate and Equitable Jobs Act puts us on track to be the best state in the nation to manufacture and drive an electric vehicle â€� but we’re just getting started, and the work doesn’t stop at our state borders,â€Ì�said Governor JB Pritzker.Ìý“By working together with our Midwestern neighbors, we can accelerate the region’s growth in the transportation sector, create jobs across our communities, and prioritize the environment that makes the Great Lakes region so great along the way.â€�
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.
REV Midwest will coordinate to promote clean energy and mobility manufacturing, leverage the states� automotive industry electrification leadership, grow the region’s share of electric vehicle production, and elevate access to tools required to equip the future workforce.
“Today’s REV Midwest partnership is a bipartisan effort to build the future of mobility and electrification and connect our communities,â€Ì�saidÌýMichigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “Our partnership will enable the Midwest to leadÌýonÌýelectric vehicle adoption,Ìýreduce carbon emissions, spur innovation, and create good-paying jobs.â€�Ìý
“The Midwest has the ingenuity and the drive to develop innovative solutions to curb climate change,â€Ì�said Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.Ìý“I am proud to work with my fellow Midwest governors to not only reduce pollution, but protect public health, create jobs, and increase consumer choice across the region.â€�
“As the Crossroads of America, transportation plays a vital role in Indiana’s economic success and continued growth,â€Ì�said Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb. “I’m proud to partner with our neighboring states to put the Midwest region on the leading edge of providing the charging infrastructure needed to futureproof our transportation network and meet the demand as rapid adoption of electric vehicles continues.â€�
â€�We shouldn’t have to choose between building a cleaner, more equitable state and economic development—and thankfully, vehicle electrification is an area where we can do both,â€Ì�saidÌýWisconsin Governor Tony Evers.Ìý“This regional partnership will be critical for addressing emissions from the transportation sector, ensuring folks in every community have cleaner air to breathe, and creating jobs to meet our future workforce needs.â€�
