Leading the charge: Superhighways aim to increase EV use
This past week Canada and Australia announced plans to construct superhighways in select regions. So what’s super about these highways? They’re stocked to the brim with electric vehicle charging stations, a feature that aims to encourage electric vehicle use and discourage range anxiety. Energy company Ergon leads the charge for the superhighway in Australia. The company intends to build as many as 60 charging stations along the route between Toomba and Cairns, in the northeastern part of the country. Australia has been relatively slow to adopt electric vehicles, so the country stands to benefit from introducing the superhighway.
Similar to Australia, Quebec’s superhighway plans fall in line with a long-term goal of putting 100,000 EVs on the road in the province by 2020. The electric highways kill two birds with one stone: They decrease range anxiety and encourage electric vehicle use through supplying necessary infrastructure.
The electrification of Autoroute 20, one of Quebec’s busiest highways, has already occurred with three charging stations in place. Three more are planned by the fall as part of phase one of the project, and when they’re installed, EV drivers will see fast-charging stations between Daveluyville and Saint-Hyacinthe, a distance of about 60 miles.
In the future, superhighways likely will play a huge role in the mainstream adoption of electric vehicles, but for now Canada and Australia are leading the charge.
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