Tesla is planning a network of electric semi-truck charging stations spanning from California to Texas. According to emails seen by Bloomberg News, the company is seeking an investment of nearly $100 million from the US government to make it happen.
According to the report Tesla’s proposal outlines the construction of nine strategically positioned charging stations, each equipped with eight 750-kilowatt Megachargers, and an additional four chargers intended for trucks manufactured by other automakers. The chargers would be located in California in Fremont, Bakersfield, Compton, and Indio. Arizona would get installations in Phoenix and San Simon, while in Texas Tesla would add Semi charging stations in Sparks, Fort Stockton, and Laredo. This would create an 1,800 mile (2,896km) route across the southwestern US, close to a number of Tesla’s facilities in California and Texas.
Tesla has proposed this corridor to potentially qualify for federal grants available under a bipartisan infrastructure program aimed at modernizing US transit systems and supporting eco-friendly initiatives. As part of their funding application submitted in June, Tesla called upon the Texas Department of Transportation to express their support for the project, which could open up new possibilities for the future of clean transportation in the country.
The company is seeking $97 million of federal funding while pledging to invest $24 million of its own capital into the project. The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration, responsible for overseeing the grants, is currently reviewing applications and told Bloomberg it expects to announce recipients later in the year.
However, whether Tesla would proceed with the project without a grant remains uncertain, and the company has not officially commented on the project.
