- Consumers Energy has revealed that the firm will power 1,500 new fast-charging locations for electric vehicles.
- Snyder said the company’s EV outreach has allowed Consumers Energy to connect with Michiganders and help them charge vehicles.
United States utility company Consumers Energy has revealed that the firm will power 1,500 new fast-charging locations for electric vehicles by the decade’s end. This project is a huge expansion in public charging that highlights still-strong EV growth and a bright future for clean transportation in Michigan. The forecast is part of Consumers Energy’s Transportation Electrification Plan, which it is filing with state regulators.
Consumers Energy today has provided over 135 rebates for locations for public fast chargers that can fully power an EV’s battery in less than half an hour. The energy provider expects over 1,500 locations, each with four or more fast chargers. The project will take place over the rest of this decade as EV numbers climb. Most EV charging takes place overnight at home, but public locations provide confidence for drivers as they travel long distances across Michigan for work or pleasure.
To support that growth, Lauren Snyder, Consumers Energy’s vice president of customer experience, said Consumers Energy will start offering rebates next year for the next generation of fast chargers – ones that are powered by on-site batteries. The installation of these chargers will be quicker, and they will draw power from the electric grid overnight, the lowest-cost time, to charge vehicles during the day when people are on the road.
Snyder said the company’s EV outreach has allowed Consumers Energy to connect with Michiganders and help them charge vehicles in ways that benefit all customers. Over 90% of Consumers Energy customers’ EV charging occurs outside peak afternoon times, reducing costs for everyone even if they don’t drive an EV.
The firm is Michigan’s largest energy provider, providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.8 million of the state’s 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties. Consumers Energy’s Clean Energy Plan calls for eliminating coal as an energy source by 2025, achieving net-zero carbon emissions and meeting 90% of customers’ energy needs through clean sources, including wind and solar.