LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — Michigan winters already make driving tough. Now Michigan State University (MSU) researchers say they also drain electric vehicle (EV) batteries quicker, leaving Michigan facing demand for 66,000 new chargers at a cost of nearly $1 billion.

The study, conducted by MSU’s College of Engineering and released with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), mapped where those chargers should go to “minimize investment costs while providing an acceptable level of service to users,” MSU Today reported. 

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Researchers combed through statewide traffic data, surveyed EV drivers, and ran models to figure out where people stop, how far they drive, and when batteries give out, according to The Detroit News.

Their conclusion: Michigan winters make things worse. MSU engineers warned that cold weather drains EV battery life by almost 30%, meaning thousands of additional chargers would be needed to keep drivers on the road when temperatures drop.

“We want to make sure every single EV trip is feasible,” lead researcher Mehrnaz Ghamami said.

That feasibility, however, comes with a steep price. The infrastructure push would dwarf anything currently on the ground, requiring a buildout nearly 45 times larger than the state’s current network.

The first phase of the EV charging infrastructure study can be found on the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification’s website.