Michigan part of Lake Michigan EV Circuit Tour project
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(FOX 2) - A new EV project in the Midwest being overseen across four Great Lakes states is being branded as "an electric Route-66."
Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin are collaborating on an electric vehicle charging station project that runs along more than 1,100 miles of shoreline on Lake Michigan. Titled the Lake Michigan EV Circuit.
An agreement signed by transportation officials from each state declared plans to install electric vehicle charging ports at key destinations along the lake, honing in on popular tourism destinations in an effort to make them more accessible to EV owners.
"The circuit will allow travelers to experience Lake Michigan and visit countless communities in and around the route," Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement. "I am so proud that we came together to forge this bipartisan agreement. Let’s keep Michigan—and the Midwest—moving forward."
MORE: Michigan finalizing plan to build first-ever wireless charging road for electric cars
The chargers will be built near lighthouses, state parks, breweries, vineyards, restaurants and other small businesses. They'll also be built in major cities like Chicago, Milwaukee, and Green Bay.
A memo signed by state officials outlined interests in working collaboratively between transportation and environmental departments. It also seeks to advance tourism efforts in and around the lake.
RELATED: Michigan installing 30 electric vehicle charging stations at state parks this summer
Michigan has announced several electric vehicle initiatives this year around building up charger capacity and dipping its toes into what an electrified road that could charge vehicles' batteries in real time might look like.
Automakers have also made a hard pivot toward more electric vehicles this year. Recently, Ford said it was ramping up battery production and had the capacity to manufacture 600,000 electric vehicles in 2023.