(WXYZ) — While electric vehicle (EV) ownership continues to rise, there's still a significant gap in access to public EV charging stations here in Michigan. A new study by Michigan State University shows that Michigan needs $998 millon for EV charging stations throughout the state to keep up with current and future demand.
The question is: who should pay? The government, or electric vehicle companies? I spoke with the researchers and EV drivers about what it will take to address this need in our state.
Watch Peter Maxwell's report in the video player below
" I am always thinking 'where's the charger?'" said EV driver Mo Alkhabbaz.
"You get feeling real nervous," said EV driver Dale Domain.
For EV drivers, finding a place to charge can be a chore, especially in Michigan, where charging stations for EVs are hard to come by.
"You're always shuffling, (asking) 'where can I find the charger?'" Alkhabbaz mentioned.
Mo has been test-driving an EV for the last week and has noticed something.
"There's a lack of chargers all around," he told me.
I also met Dale Domain, who took a road trip in his EV to Minnesota last year and mapped out how he would get there in his EV.
"Had done some research ahead of time to see where the charging stations were, but it was something that was on my mind throughout because the range is relatively short," Dale said.
The EV tax credit ends on September 30. Dealers I spoke with said EV sales are soaring with this deadline approaching. It's a trend confirmed by automotive analyst John McElroy.
"We're seeing strong increases in EV sales right now because people are rushing to get one before federal incentives go away," McElroy said. "Not just for new ones but for used ones. Used EV sales are going up faster than new ones."
According to the Michigan Secretary of State, as of June of this year, there are over 85,000 registered EVs on the road. That number falls short of the state's goal of 2 million EVs by 2030.
"When these incentives run out at the end of September, we are almost for sure going to see a big drop in sales," McElroy said.
When it comes to the EV charging infrastructure, MSU Professor Mehranz Ghamami told me Michigan is behind. Right now, there are less than 4,000 public EV charing stations available.
"There are still gaps in the network here and there that do not fully support the current one percent market share," Ghamami said.
In a recent study, MSU researchers looked at what the state would need if 25 percent of Michigan drivers chose electric vehicles. The state would need close to $1 billion, or over 66,000 new charging stations.
"25 percent by 2030 is not feasible at this point," Ghamami said.
The funding would be a mix of federal tax dollars and private investment. Just this month, a federal judge made the Trump administration reverse course, unfreezing $5 billion in previously allocated funds for EV charging infrastructure. Michigan is getting $110 million from this, but it's not just about cost; it's also about coverage rural areas, apartment complexes and public access to keep EV drivers moving.
"In the Upper Peninsula we definitely need more investment, and also in the northern part of the Lower Peninsula," Ghamami said.
The EV drivers I spike with say tax dollars shouldn't be used to fund the build out of the electric charging grid.
"No, I don't think so, unless it's a grant from the EV makers for them to have infrastructure to make more sales," Alkhabbaz said.
"I think everyone should be paying a fair amount," Domain said. "I don't like seeing other people being forced to subsidize the EV."
