Written by Justin P. Hicks | [email protected] and Scott Levin | [email protected]
Michigan’s electric vehicle infrastructure is growing faster than the national average.
A map of Michigan's DC fast charging stations for electric vehicles as of Tuesday, May 7, 2023. An interactive version of the map is available in the story below. (Map by Scott Levin | MLive.com)
In 2023, the state increased its number of public direct current (DC) fast charging stations by 52%. That topped the U.S. increase of 47%, according to Anderson Economic Group, an East Lansing-area consulting group.
DC fast chargers can fully charge an electric vehicle in about 30 minutes, making them the ideal infrastructure for public stations. The alternative Level 1 and Level 2 AC chargers can take from one to two hours to several hours, depending on the charger and vehicle.
As of Tuesday, May 7, Michigan had 315 public DC fast charging stations, according to data from the U.S. Department of Energy. It added 102 stations in 2023 and has added 17 this year.
The state also has 1,141 Level 2 charging stations.
Related: Michigan secures $1.8M to fix these 172 broken EV chargers
Affordability and limited availability of charging stations continue to affect demand for electric vehicles, said Cristina Benton, director of market and industry analysis for Anderson Economic Group. Improving access to chargers would help increase EV demand, she said.
“To address range anxiety, Michigan’s tourism hot spots, rural areas and major transportation corridors need more DC fast charging stations, and they must be reliably operational,” Benton said in a statement.
Most of the state’s charging stations are in the lower half of the Lower Peninsula. They’re largely concentrated in urban areas of Ann Arbor, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Lansing.
While there are limited charging stations in northern Michigan, there are more than 40 stations north of Clare, including nine in the Upper Peninsula.
Charging stations can be found at car dealerships, gas stations, grocery stores, office buildings, airports, parks and shopping centers. Many are available 24/7, while some have hours that match the business on premises.
Some stations are free to use, like the Nissan dealerships in Ann Arbor, Farmington Hills and Okemos, or Chevrolet dealerships in Grand Rapids, Holland and Novi. Other stations charge a small connection fee, plus an additional charge per minute or kilowatt hour.
Related: New vehicles cost 27% more than in 2018. Used cars are up too.
Michigan ranks seventh in the nation in total fast charger count, but 23rd in the number of fast chargers per capita.
Still, electric charging stations are still a long way from matching the accessibility of gas stations.
Anderson Economic Group found that nearly 20% of Michigan residents live within a 10-minute round trip drive of a public charging station, but 84% live that distance from a gas station. Gas stations can also often service more customers with a quicker turnaround than charging stations.
Nationally, electric vehicle sales continue to increase year-over-year, but the growth has slowed, according to data from Cox Automotive.
With 268,909 new purchases, EV accounted for 7.3% of new vehicle sales during the first quarter of 2024. That was up 2.6% from the first quarter of 2023, but down 15.2% from the last quarter of 2023, the first quarter-over-quarter decline since mid-2020.
For an up-to-date look at Michigan’s charging infrastructure, visit the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuel Data Center.
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This article first appeared at MLive.
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