The governors of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming signed a new memorandum of understanding last week, reaffirming mutual dedication to creating electric vehicle charging infrastructure along major highways.
“New Mexico’s commitment to electric vehicles is unwavering and vital to our goals to reduce carbon emissions,” New Mexico Gov. Lujan Grisham said. “Buyers need to know that if they invest in electric vehicles, they’ll be able to drive where they need to go, recharging as needed. This agreement is an important step toward meeting that commitment.”
Along with the memorandum — an update to an October 2017 agreement dedicated to ensuring seamless travel for electric vehicles across the region’s major transportation corridors — were voluntary minimum standards for associated charging stations. These refer to Direct-Current Fast Charging stations, which now have standards for administration, interoperability, operations, and management. The document will act as a guiding principle for the states, meant to drive both public and private sector investment and adoption further.
Notably, each state involved will still be able to determine how best to apply these mutual standards. Facilitating the agreement between them is the National Association of State Energy Officials.