Commercial, Distributed Generation, Industrial, Regulation  -  June 27, 2019

Michigan bill would open state parks for EV charging

The Michigan state legislature on June 26 introduced a bipartisan bill that would allow for electric vehicle charging stations to be installed on state parks and park-and-ride lots.

The group hopes that the legislation would encourage more long-distance drives to the scenic areas of the state that would historically not be able to be accessed by electric vehicles due to the lack of access to charging stations.

The legislation would also add tax incentives for businesses and multi-unit housing that install charging stations and would create the Electric Vehicle Council within the Michigan Department of Transportation to coordinate a statewide plan for charging infrastructure in coordination with private companies and utilities.

Lawmakers also hope that the bill would keep the state at the forefront of the evolving automotive industry, which Michigan once dominated, according to a report on the bill by the Detroit Free Press.

"So we know that we can solve any design problem as we look at the next generation of electric vehicles and where this industry is going, we in Michigan have the unique capability to imagine it, to design it, to engineer it, to build it, and to ship it all over the world for people to enjoy and to be able to get where they want to go," the newspaper reported Sen. Mallory McMorrow to have said. "But we’re at a point right now where if you drive an electric vehicle you may not make it to where you want to go, and particularly in Michigan as we look to what's next, we have to plan for the future."

The Detroit Free Press reported that Michigan currently has 1,119 public and 253 private charging outlets at 607 charging stations, most of which are concentrated in more populated areas such as Detroit. 

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