Tesla is reportedly seeking around $100 million in funding for a charging route from Texas to California that would host nine charging stations for all electric-semi trucks, according to a new report from Bloomberg.
Emails seen by the publication said Tesla wants each of the stations to feature eight units of the Semi’s Megacharger and four chargers made for competing all-electric Class 8 trucks. The emails were sent by Tesla executives to the Texas Department of Transportation between May and early July.
Tesla told Texas government officials it could qualify for grants from the bipartisan infrastructure program launched by the Biden administration to help build more EV charging stations for both passenger and commercial vehicles.
Tesla requested the help of state officials in the form of a written letter that would support the charging corridor.
Recipients of grants of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration will be announced later this year. The agency is in the process of reviewing applications.
The corridor itself would stretch from Fremont, CA, where Tesla operates a production facility, to Laredo, TX, which sits right on the U.S.-Mexico border. From Fremont, stations would be situated in Bakersfield, Compton and Indio, CA; Phoenix and San Simon, AZ; and Sparks, Fort Stockton and Laredo, TX.
Tesla already has established a dedicated lane for itself at the border that helps with logistics from suppliers in Mexico. The automaker is also planning to build a factory in Nuevo Leon, Mexico.
Tesla will also put up money to build the project, as the report states it is planning to spend $24 million in addition to the $97 million it requested from the government.
There is no information on whether Tesla would pursue the project if it does not win the funding.
Abby Andrews