Tim Slusser says the city of Detroit has an end goal for its electric vehicle charging infrastructure plans.
“In the future, you won’t be any farther than 3 to 5 miles from a charging station no matter where you are in the city of Detroit,” Slusser, the city’s chief of mobility innovation, told the Free Press on Tuesday.
A new federal grant award to the city and region should help.
On Friday, the city of Detroit and the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments were awarded almost $15.2 million to boost EV charging in the region. This grant, along with a similar $23.4 million grant last year, are expected to help the city install more than 100 “high-speed” EV charging stations across 40 locations, according to the announcement Tuesday.
The latest grant to Detroit and the region were part of a wider announcement from the Federal Highway Administration for 49 projects nationwide funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Currently, Detroit has around 300 public and private charging stations, close to 30 of which are DC fast charging, which are “as close to the gas station experience as you can get,” Slusser said, noting that’s simply not enough.
Those locations include places like recreation centers and even Meijer stores, Slusser said.
“We really wanted to address some remaining gaps in our EV infrastructure strategy as well as to tie those assets into some other transportation modalities,” Slusser said, referencing locations where drivers can park and access scooters, bike share or other transit options.
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Outside the city, SMART bus park and ride and carpool lots will be areas of focus. The goal is to have higher speed chargers along major corridors and places where shorter charging times are important. Slower speed, Level 2 chargers that deliver approximately 25 miles of range per hour plugged in, would be located in areas where people might plan to leave their vehicle while they grab a bite to eat or see a show.
The intent is also to give a wide range of people access to EV charging, including those living in multifamily units, and to reduce vehicle emissions in the city.
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Mayor Mike Duggan, in a news release, said “electric vehicles are the future of the auto industry and Detroit is going to support that shift by making sure we have a network of safe, convenient and easy-to-find high-speed charging stations for people to use.”
Slusser said specific locations should be available soon. The release noted that installation of the first stations are expected to take place in the spring, with all chargers installed over the next few years. The effort is being marketed as the Detroit Charge Ahead: Clean Commute Program.
Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.
