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Gov. Whitmer Announces Grants for 88 Electric Vehicle Charging Sites

Michigan Business Network
May 10, 2021 10:00 AM

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LANSING, Mich. -- Governor Gretchen Whitmer today announced thirty-two locations across Michigan have been approved as part of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s Charge Up grants totaling $1,868,681.13 to install fast-charging stations for private and commercial electric vehicles, adding 88 charging outlets along key travel routes throughout the state.   

“Michigan put the world on wheels and will continue driving the world forward by leading on mobility and electrification,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “These grants demonstrate our commitment to expanding EV infrastructure across Michigan and build on the extraordinary work and investments of our innovative industry partners and EGLE to help support drivers who make the transition to electric vehicles.”    

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) grants announced today continue the build out of an EV charging infrastructure at optimal locations under EGLE’s Charge Up Michigan program. The program partially funds direct current fast chargers based on a 2019 EGLE Energy Services-funded study that advocates for continuous, worry-free EV travel across Michigan with connections to high-traveled Midwest and Canadian routes.   

“Adding another 88 EV chargers – with commitment from private industry, utilities and state support – builds needed infrastructure for Michigan’s mobility evolution,” EGLE Director Liesl Clark said. “It’s an exciting time for the driving public as we see auto manufacturers and utilities right here in Michigan embrace this move to a cleaner mobility technology. The charger installations work hand-in-hand with EGLE’s support for an advanced mobility future, Catalyst Communities program to help municipalities prepare for the impacts of climate change and the Council on Climate Solutions’ work in developing the MI Healthy Climate Plan.”    

Facilitating the expansion of a statewide EV charging infrastructure supports Gov. Whitmer’s commitment to addressing the impacts of climate change on Michigan’s residents as well as accelerating electric vehicle adoption in Michigan – a key focus area of the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification. Growing consumer acceptance of electric vehicles is a key component to reaching the goal of the MI Healthy Climate Plan of statewide carbon neutrality by 2050. An electrified vehicle fleet will also improve public health and the environment through limiting greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.   

Charge Up Michigan offers up to $70,000 per charging station to public or private entities in partnership with a host site and the utility that serves the area. EGLE, the grant recipient, and utility each pay a third of the cost for site preparation, charger installation, connections to the electrical power grid, signage, and network fees.   

Since the launch of the Charge Up Michigan program, EGLE has allocated $4,000,182.97 for chargers at 76 locations with a total of 182 charging station outlets. Each charging station has at least two outlets, allowing multiple vehicles to charge simultaneously. More than half of the approved direct current fast charger projects have been installed and are operational, making them publicly available for EV drivers at any time.   

Many of the charging stations funded by the grants announced today are expected to be operational by the end of the year: 

  • Sunrise Stores LLC (Fort Gratiot, Smiths Creek, Capac and Kimball): 8 charging outlets, $200,000 
  • Traverse City Light and Power, 15 outlets, $173,763.03 
  • Red E Charging (Detroit, Waterford and Wixom): 6 outlets, $157,743.60 
  • EV Build (City of Rogers City and Mackinaw City): 6 outlets, $125,580 
  • City of Ann Arbor: 4 outlets, $70,000 
  • Dean Arbour Ford (West Branch): 2 outlets, $70,000 
  • Diatomic Energy, LLC (Belle Isle State Park, Detroit): 2 outlets, $70,000 
  • Great Lakes Energy (Scottville): 4 outlets, $70,000 
  • Summit Place Properties II LLC (Waterford): 4 outlets, $70,000  
  • TNT Equipment (Sandusky): 4 outlets, $70,000 
  • Sunrise LLC (Houghton Lake): 2 outlets, $55,750 
  • Hawks Petroleum LLC (Howard City): 2 outlets, $53,350 
  • Ford & Haggerty, Inc. (Canton): 2 outlets, $50,000 
  • Lee Road, Inc. (Brighton): 2 outlets, $50,000 
  • McNichols & Wyoming, Inc. (Detroit): 2 outlets, $50,000 
  • Royal Gas and Oil (Farmington): 2 outlets, $50,000 
  • Speedy Q Market (Port Huron): 2 outlets, $50,000 
  • Sunny's Food Mart (Pleasant Ridge): 2 outlets, $50,000 
  • Wakeland Oil (Brighton): 2 outlets, $50,000 
  • Washtenaw Food & Gas, Inc. (Ann Arbor): 2 outlets, $50,000 
  • Zourob Enterprises (Romulus): 2 outlets, $50,000 
  • J. McCormick LLC (Whitehall): 2 outlets, $49,845   

Amended grants from previous rounds: 

  • Blarney Castle Oil (Manistee and Petoskey): 4 outlets, $111,700 
  • Meijer (Ann Arbor): 2 outlets (50 kW), $40,000 
  • Hage Automotive (Jackson Airport): 3 outlets (50 kW), $30,679.50   

The grants are funded through Michigan’s allocation from the Volkswagen diesel settlement. The goal is to complete the statewide charging network by 2030. Funding is still available, and applications are encouraged from host sites throughout the Upper Peninsula, as well as in the northwest, southwest and southeast Lower Peninsula. Applications are available here. EGLE will focus on filling these gaps where proposed locations are still open in the state, especially in the Upper Peninsula, to form a fast-charging loop around Lake Michigan in conjunction with other states.   

Last month, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg announced the 5th round of “Alternate Fuel Corridors” designations recognizing highway segments that have infrastructure plans to allow travel on alternative fuels, including electricity. Five “Alternate Fuel Corridors” were designated as EV Ready in Michigan this round through the efforts of the Michigan Department of Transportation and others, including I-75 between Trenton and Auburn Hills and between Gaylord and Indian River; I-96 between Detroit and Muskegon; I-196 between Saugatuck and Grand Rapids; US-31 between Saugatuck and Muskegon; and, US 131 between Portage and Petoskey.   

“As the production and adoption of electric vehicles continues to accelerate, Michigan is not only supporting that transition to electric vehicles, we are also working to expand access to EV charging infrastructure statewide,” said Travel Pawl, Chief Mobility Office for the state of Michigan. “These federal EV Ready corridor designations demonstrate that momentum and EGLE’s Charge Up Michigan grants remain vital to this ongoing effort as we continue to build momentum as a high techmobility and electrification hub here in the U.S. and beyond.”   

Michigan currently offers 480 publicly accessible charging stations featuring nearly 1,400 charging outlets, in addition to 146 private charging stations throughout the state. Michigan continues to build out this infrastructure to encourage further EV adoption, putting the state within the top 25 percent of states for electric vehicle registrations.   

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