Tesla is in search of practically $100 million in U.S. authorities funding to construct 9 semi-truck charging stations on a route from the southern border of Texas to the automaker’s unique manufacturing unit in Fremont, California, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

The plan reportedly requires every web site to have eight 750-kw chargers for the Tesla Semi plus 4 chargers for different makes, basically following the Megawatt Charging Normal (MCS) for industrial automobiles formalized final summer season. The non-Semi connectors would possible be Tesla’s NACS V4 cost connector, which the corporate has stated is nice for 1 megawatt.

The plans had been mentioned in emails from Tesla executives to the Texas Division of Transportation between Could and early June, which had been examined by Bloomberg. Within the emails, Tesla reportedly instructed Texas officers that the undertaking may qualify for federal grants being distributed below the Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation, and requested officers to put in writing a letter in help of the undertaking to be included in Texas’ funding utility, which was submitted in June.

Tesla Semi (Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.)

California’s South Coast Air High quality Administration District led the applying on behalf of Texas-based Tesla. a consultant instructed Bloomberg the automaker is in search of $97 million of federal funding and plans to pay $24 million itself.

Bloomberg notes that it’s unclear if Tesla will proceed with the truck-charging undertaking if the applying just isn’t authorized. The Federal Freeway Administration, which is charged with overseeing the charging-infrastructure grants, is at the moment reviewing purposes and is predicted to call recipients later this yr.

The roughly 1,800-mile route begins in Laredo, Texas, which is about 240 miles from Tesla’s headquarters in Austin and 150 miles from the positioning of a brand new manufacturing unit the corporate is constructing in Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Tesla in 2022 was given an unique lane on the Mexican border crossing to assist transfer components from suppliers in Mexico to its U.S. factories in Texas and California, Bloomberg famous. The charging undertaking may electrify a minimum of a few of these deliveries, that are at the moment made with internal-combustion vehicles.

Tesla Semi (Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.)

Electrical truck stops and charging stations contain far better challenges for siting due to their impression on the grid, and the necessity to keep away from costly “demand costs.” These are premiums levied by utilities when electrical energy demand spikes—akin to when quite a lot of electrical semi vehicles are charging on the identical time.

As extra electrical industrial vehicles enter service, charging tasks are starting to crop up. A undertaking involving fleet operator NFI and Electrify America is putting in 34 fast-charging stations for heavy-duty vehicles by the top of 2023, however that is not geared towards the megawatt charging possible wanted to make longer hauls sensible.

WattEV can be establishing a 40-stall truck-charging web site in Bakersfield, California. That is alongside the route Tesla is reportedly proposing.