In December 2021, the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), Washington, D.C., announced the formation of the National Electric Highway Coalition (NEHC), which merges the Electric Highway Coalition and the Midwest Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Collaboration. It also now includes additional participating electric companies from across the United States.

Currently, the NEHC consists of 51 investor-owned electric companies, one electric cooperative and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

According to its new website, the NEHC is a collaboration among electric companies that are committed to providing electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging stations along major U.S. travel corridors by the end of 2023, allowing the public to drive EVs with confidence.

“The NEHC is the largest such alliance of electric companies that have organized around the common goal of deploying EV fast charging infrastructure to support the growing number of EVs and to help ensure that the transition to EVs is seamless for drivers,” it said.

“EEI and our member companies are leading the clean energy transformation, and electric transportation is key to reducing carbon emissions across our economy,” said Tom Kuhn, EEI’s president. “With the formation of the National Electric Highway Coalition, we are committed to investing in and providing the charging infrastructure necessary to facilitate electric vehicle growth and to helping alleviate any remaining customer range anxiety.”

To date, EEI’s member companies have invested more than $3 billion in deploying EV charging infrastructure and accelerating the adoption of electric transportation.

The NEHC estimates that more than 100,000 EV fast-charging ports will be needed by 2030 to support a projected 22 million EV on U.S. roads.

“By merging and expanding the existing efforts underway to build fast charging infrastructure along major travel corridors, we are building a foundational EV charging network that will help to encourage more customers to purchase an electric vehicle,” Kuhn said. “We owe a great deal of gratitude to the electric companies that created so much momentum at the regional level, paving the way for us to expand this effort nationally.”