201 EV Chargers Coming To Michigan Apartment Complexes – CleanTechnica

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The steady stream of good EV charging news keeps on coming — this time in the state of Michigan. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) has awarded $1.84 million dollars in funding for the installation of 201 new EV chargers at 31 multifamily properties in Michigan. 

The new chargers will be installed in such locations as: Taylor, Allen Park, Lincoln Park, Dearborn Heights, and Southfield. Other sites include Kalamazoo, Flint, and Lansing. They will be Level 2 chargers, which is just fine because residents at multifamily complexes who drive electric vehicles and plug them in at night can get a full charge while in their homes doing other things. In other words, it is not necessary to fast charge to 80% in 35 minutes for EV owners when they are at home. Some residents also may work remotely so they can charge at home while working and have their batteries ready to go when they need to drive somewhere.

Many EV owners have single family homes and home chargers, which makes home charging convenient and easy. However, most apartment and condo complexes do not yet have their own home chargers, so people who live in such dwellings do not yet have the same easy access to home charging.

Some critics, trolls, and haters might poo-poo the news of this number of EV chargers being installed as too little, but they are actually part of a much larger plan. “The grants expand charging access for residents throughout Michigan and move the state closer to the MI Healthy Climate Plan (MHCP) goal of sufficient infrastructure to support 2 million EVs in Michigan by 2030. Awardees are listed below. The MHCP is Michigan’s roadmap to a healthy, prosperous, carbon-neutral future for all Michiganders by 2050.”

Electric vehicles don’t directly generate toxic air pollution because they don’t burn gasoline or diesel fuel. Some areas of Detroit have too much air pollution. “The 48217 zip code in Southwest Detroit has the most air pollution of any community in the state, which can have devastating impacts on our health. Residents in the 48217 zip code — a community that is majority Black and Latino residents — experience disproportionately high rates of cancer and asthma. Investing in 100% clean energy will significantly reduce our carbon emissions and protect the health of communities across the state.”

Climate change impacts may also become more harmful. “A University of Michigan study projects deaths and emergency department visits caused by weather events during the time period 2041 to 2070 compared to a historical period of 1971 to 2000. Deaths from extreme heat are likely to increase from 33 deaths annually to 240 in the projected time period, the researchers report. Emergency department visits are expected to increase from 1,200 to 7,800, and hospitalizations from 28 to 185. Illness caused by extreme precipitation may increase from 170 ER visits per year to 220 visits per year.”

At the moment, Michigan has over 85,000 electric vehicles; there were about 20,000 in 2022. Electric vehicle adoption is supported by expanding public EV charging infrastructure, among other factors. Another primary one is the price of the vehicle — fortunately now there are a number of affordable electric vehicles, both new and used.