The U.S. and Canada on Tuesday announced plans for a joint EV charging corridor connecting the two countries.
Christened the Binational EV Corridor, the project aims to place EV fast chargers approximately every 50 miles between Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Quebec, City, Quebec, Canada, according to a U.S. Department of Transportation press release. A timeline for construction wasn’t given.
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“The U.S. and Canada have long enjoyed a productive partnership on transportation issues and in that spirit we are proud to announce the first-ever U.S.-Canada EV corridor,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.
The international charging corridor will connect Canada—where one in 10 new vehicles purchased is already zero-emission, according to officials—with a planned U.S. network of 500,000 charging states funded by $7.5 billion set aside under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, as well as 75,000 miles of highways designated Alternative Fuel Corridors and thus featuring EV charging. And it will effectively connect what has been the traditional heart of the North American auto industry.
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Starting in Kalamazoo, once home to taxi-cab manufacturer Checker, the route will cut through other car-making centers in Michigan before crossing into Ontario—another center for automotive manufacturing that’s becoming increasingly important in the EV switch.
Ford, for instance, is likely to assemble a three-row electric SUV in Oakville, Ontario. Volkswagen has also chosen the Canadian province for its first North American PowerCo EV battery plant. Windsor, Ontario, is due to become a hub of EV activity for Stellantis—if Canadian support comes through. And General Motors is already assembling its BrightDrop electric vans and commercial trucks in Ontario.
