State, utilities sketch out areas of need for future EV charging network
- Fast charging public network for electric vehicles developed by Michigan Energy Office, utilities and vendors
- Calls for at least 193 chargers at 35 stations in non-urban areas
- Supplements already existing private charging network but intended to address “range anxiety” issues
Michigan needs at least 193 charger outlets at 35 public stations along its major interstate highways to power the growing number of electric vehicles expected on its roadways over the next decade, according to a state-sponsored study.
The study, commissioned by the state energy office and agreed upon by major utilities and private charging station vendors, provides a closer look at how Michigan’s infrastructure for electric vehicles might evolve over the next decade.
The bottom line: Michigan’s rural highways will need more charging stations to begin to address the “range anxiety” feared by EV drivers.
In the first phase of its report, which looked at non-urban areas, the Michigan Energy Office along with its stakeholders chose a mixed charging scenario that anticipates vehicles with smaller rechargeable batteries — a 70 kilowatt-hour vehicle battery that uses a 150-kilowatt charger, said Robert Jackson, energy office director.
Jackson said the study and the state’s share of the DC fast-charging network will be paid for by a $9.9 million share it received from the 2016 Volkswagen diesel settlement.
The proposed public charging network will add to hundreds of other chargers installed by private developers like ChargePoint and Tesla. For example, Detroit has 190 charging station ports around the city.
Conducted by researchers at Michigan State University, the study looked at optimal locations of EV chargers in public locations in the Upper and Lower Peninsulas in part to address drivers’ “range anxiety” issues. Assessing needs by 2030, the study assessed distance between charging stations, charging speed, total time needed to get a charge, wait time for chargers, and detour times added to a typical trip.
The study also looked at two other scenarios for EV placement and investment. For example, the first scenario, considered a low-tech option, would place 598 charging outlets for 50 kilowatt-hour batteries in various locations that would cost about $28 million. Current average battery technology ranges from 25 kilowatt-hours to up to 100 kwh for a Tesla.
Another higher-tech scenario suggested 128 charging outlets with a cost of about $14 million to charge vehicles with more powerful batteries that would range from 50 kwh to 100 kwh.
“Our hybrid model (scenario three) is designed to charge low-tech batteries with a DC fast charger at 150 kwhs at about 10 to 15 minutes,” Jackson said. “We know in 2030 there will be faster 400 kwh chargers, so we want to prepare ahead.”
Jackson said the second part of the study, which is expected to be completed this fall, will focus on the placement of urban EV chargers in Southeast Michigan. A third study will look at the possibility of adding solar-powered batteries at stations to address storage and reliability issues, Jackson said.
“We used some of the experiences learned in Canada where they have many charging stations,” he said. “They have solar panels to charge batteries” for backups in case the electric grid fails.
Sarah Barbo, director of corporate strategy with Consumers Energy Co., said the Jackson-based utility generally agrees with the state’s non-urban charging network locations. She said the company is starting to talk with charging vendors and site hosts on beginning installations this summer.
“We are still talking about the detail on the number of chargers, which ones we do first,” Barbo said. “We do have one difference with our program. We said 125 kilowatt-hour fast chargers and (the MEA) recommended 150 kilowatt-hour chargers. We thought about the cost-benefit and are not sure it is worth paying premium costs” for the faster-speed chargers at this time.
Dubbed PowerMIDrive, Consumers’ three-year, $10 million electric vehicle charging program includes new electric charging rates for nighttime hours, rebates to residential and business owners for a variety of chargers and a customer education effort. Rebates will range from $5,000 for chargers installed in public areas such as workplaces and multi-unit dwellings and up to $70,000 in rebates for the installation of a fast charger.
Barbo said Consumers has put out a request for information for site hosts and vendors interested in building and managing charger stations. “These companies are very proactive. It is a new market, but they have to figure out permitting and other factors,” she said.
By summer, Barbo believes Consumers will begin to receive rebate applications for the charger stations that will lay out what type of chargers and how many stations will be built over the next year. “We are hoping to get some installed by next summer and many by the fall of 2020,” she said.
Impact to the electric grid initially from the EVs will be minimal, Barbo said. “We will learn a lot over the next three years. Electric vehicles tend to be clustered and we don’t expect any problems,” she said. “As we have more EVs, more home chargers and highway chargers, we will see” whether the capacity is sufficient after three years.
Barbo said Consumers expects to double the number of EVs in its territory from 4,000 to 8,000 by 2022.
According to HIS Global Insights, Michigan has 12,500 to 15,000 EVs, ranking 10th in national EV sales. Industry estimates vary but predict that EV sales will grow to 150,000 to 800,000 EVs annually in Michigan. EVs includes all electric vehicles, including plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and battery electric vehicles.
Over three years, Consumers’ EV program is expected to provide rebates to at least 200 level-two chargers located at grocery stores, gas stations and workplaces and 24 fast charger systems throughout Consumers Energy service territory, Barbo said.
The utility also estimated another 3,000 residential chargers, which are slower chargers than level two, will be installed based on an estimate of 4,000 new EV purchases in Michigan, Barbo said.
On June 5, Consumers Energy plans to hold a public meeting in Lansing at the Public Service Commission offices on its EV pilot program. Barbo said Consumers plans to announce charging vendors chosen to participate in the network.
Camilo Serna, vice president of corporate strategy with DTE Energy Co., said the state’s plan is helpful as DTE begins to work with private vendors and property owners to develop the charging network.
“You need a host to share investment in the infrastructure and where the needs are and the opportunities,” Serna said. “Our map is more around Detroit, so we have a couple differences in what the state is thinking. But we have similar views on the chargers as Consumers.”
By 2030, DTE is using projections of 300,000 electric vehicles in Michigan, but the number could grow as high as 1 million, Serna said.
Serna said once DTE’s rate case is approved, which is expected in May, the company will be able to provide rebates for vendors of $20,000 per charger. “We are engaging those hosts now. We have a list and talking with customers. Some might call us. We will look at locations, depends on the site, and the funding might help cover 50 to 60 percent of the costs,” he said. “Whatever the state contributes would be good.”
In a project called Charging Forward, DTE proposes to develop charging stations in both residential and commercial areas, give rebates to businesses providing fast chargers and to homeowners using home-based chargers and to educate customers about the technology.
Serna said DTE is projecting a need for 32 fast chargers with one per location in Southeast Michigan with 100 kilowatt-hour chargers.
“We are projecting grid capacity out to three years and don’t see any issues” for reliability, Serna said. “We will do a study in a few years and that might impact our view. Adoption is still low, but it could increase and we would have to address increased capacity on the grid.”
Kevin Miller, director of public policy for ChargePoint Inc., the nation’s leading network and manufacturer of EV charging stations, has told Crain’s that Michigan utility company charging programs will encourage more EV charging at home, work and the road. Chargepoint supports 59,000 charging spots in the nation, including 1,100 in Michigan, and plans to build more.
Source: crainsdetroit
