Duke Energy, MidAmerican, Liberty and Midwest Energy join Ameren electric vehicle collaborative

A collective of utilities dedicated to expanding the network of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations throughout the American Midwest gained four new members this week: Duke Energy, MidAmerican, Liberty, and Midwest Energy.

Led by Ameren, the collective was first established last year and consisted of six utilities up until now. Its creation was in response to automotive industry expectations that foresee EV adoption growing from 1.5 million vehicles to 18.7 million vehicles by 2030. If such an explosion were to occur, approximately 9.6 million public EV charging stations would be needed to cope with demand — and only about 100,000 exist today.

“In the Midwest, large cities are connected by vast rural areas, so drivers spend more time on the road and travel longer distances,” Richard Mark, chairman and president of Ameren Illinois, said. “The EV movement is happening, and we’re proud to be part of a coalition that will help to provide motorists with convenient and economical charging options throughout the region.”

States now covered by the coalition include Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, and Oklahoma. The goal, illustrated by Ameren, is to make it so that EV drivers could potentially be able to travel the 1,200 miles from Detroit to Colorado and everywhere in between, with sufficient stations to recharge the whole way.

The Memorandum of Cooperation signed between the companies will not undo the necessity for regulatory approvals. However, Ameren and its fellow utilities aim to have charging infrastructure in place by the end of 2022.