Here's a map of the EV charging corridors.

One of the biggest barriers to electric car adoption, analysts say, is "range anxiety" — the fear of being unable to recharge an EV's battery while out and about. For commuters who can plug in their cars every night, this is less of a problem. But for long-haul drives, the uncertainty can be crippling. Volkswagen's e-Golf, Chevrolet's Spark and BMW's i3 all travel roughly 80 miles on a single charge. Newer mainstream vehicles such as Tesla's Model 3 and Chevy's Bolt EV can deliver more than twice that, but those vehicles have yet to hit the market. Other, more capable models exist, but are largely out of reach of regular consumers.

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Thursday's announcement doesn't just cover electric vehicles. It also identifies several interstates as refueling corridors for cars that run on hydrogen, propane and natural gas.

But the initiative primarily targets electric vehicles as more automakers have begun competing to produce a mainstream, affordable electric car.

"The Obama administration’s continued efforts to increase accessibility to electric vehicle charging at our highways, homes, and businesses will help speed our transition to a 21st century clean transportation system,” said Gina Coplon-Newfield, director of the Sierra Club's Electric Vehicles Initiative.

Some of the world's biggest companies have agreed to support the EV charging corridors. They include BMW, General Electric, General Motors, Nissan and PG&E, among others. In addition, the Department of Transportation is expected to produce two studies on charging technology, one of which will aim to determine how many charging stations the country needs for a fully fledged EV charging network.

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