Seven state highway corridors – including one linking Mesa to Payson – have been added to plans for a network of electric vehicle charging stations.

State transportation officials said Wednesday the state highway addition is an expansion of the initial 2022 plan that focused on interstates.

A virtual public hearing will take place 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 18, where Arizona Department of Transportation’s updated 2023 charging plan will be discussed. To register: azdot.gov/AZEVJuly18.

The recommended plan is designed to build “a reliable statewide network of EV charging stations spaced no more than 50 miles apart,” ADOT officials said.

The seven additions are:

• State Route 87 from Mesa to Payson.
• SR 260 from Payson to Show Low.
• SR 347 from just south of Phoenix to Maricopa.
• US 89 from Flagstaff to the Utah state line.
• SR 64 from Williams to the Grand Canyon.
• SR 95 from Quartzsite to Interstate 40.
• US 93 from Kingman to the Nevada state line.

The EV charging network plan is part of $76.5 million in federal funding Arizona is eligible to receive through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program.

The program encourages adoption of electric vehicles as viable alternatives to gasoline-powered cars, by building a nationwide network of publicly accessible and reliable fast chargers that will reduce drivers’ concerns about EV range, according to ADOT.

ADOT officials said they expect to add more highways and station locations to the charging network in 2024 and 2025.