Take Part In Shaping Michigan’s Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Roadmap
By Tevin Grant, President, Evovl-Electric Transportation
On November 5, 2018, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) held a webinar on how the Volkswagen Settlement Beneficiary Mitigation Plan (BMP) will be spent. Robert Jackson head of the Light Duty Zero Emissions Vehicle Supply Equipment Program (Program) for the Michigan Agency for Energy (MAE) spoke about their plans to create, implement, and invest in Michigan’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure and hydrogen fuel cell dispensers (HFCD).
Currently, the MAE is taking public comments on their plans. MAE is looking for comments from all stakeholders, including but not limited to automobile manufacturers, state agencies, electric/gas utilities, municipalities, public schools/universities, not-for-profits, healthcare providers, and the general public.
To make a comment, contact Robert Jackson at jacksonR20@michigan.gov or 517-930-6163.
The Program will prioritize areas in Michigan that are designated as “non-attainment” for ozone by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) based on their 2015 ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Other factors used to prioritize projects for funding include the areas with high particulate matter levels compared to the EPA’s 2006 particulate matter NAAQS and areas where they expect to achieve significant reductions in oxides of nitrogen emissions and human exposure.
The MAE will create a committee to evaluate and select projects through a solicitation process. An initial screening of applications will be conducted to ensure applicants and projects meet all eligibility requirements. Selections will be based on several factors, including the project’s potential reduction in NOx emissions and human exposure, location, and cost-effectiveness of the proposal. Each project will require a cost-share (amount to-be-determined).
Below is a chart showing where the MAE believes would be the best locations for charging and refueling stations. It seems like the black nodes are where they are planning to put charging stations.
The maximum budget for the program is 15% of the VWSF, which equals $9,721,052. These funds will be used to provide matching grants for electric vehicle (EV) and hydrogen fuel cell dispensers (HFCD) costs.
The funds will be allocated in three equal rounds, one round for each fiscal year of 2019, 2020, and 2021. Each round will have approximately $3,240,351 available. They have contemplated a fourth round if all the funds are not spent. All projects completed under the Program will be monitored for up to ten (10) years.
| FUNDING ROUNDS | ELECTRICAL CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE | HYDROGEN FUEL CELL DISPENSERS |
| Round 1
FY 2019 |
|
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| Round 2
FY 2020 |
|
|
| Round 3
FY 2021 |
|
|
| Round 4
FY 2022 (If funds are available) |
|
|
Evolv-Electric is pleased to see that the MDEQ has set aside almost $10 million to build up their electric vehicle charging infrastructure. MAE’s plan to designate and implement projects in three years is great for promoting EV adoption. Make chargers available in public areas will ease a lot of people’s anxiety about not being able to charge an electric car. If these chargers are properly placed and visible, Michigan should see an increase in EV adoption.
MAE’s plan to support HFCD is not an advisable use of the funds. Hydrogen is not a good choice to use to fuel electric cars. Hydrogen would be better used for large scale energy storage of excess energy where you can maximize the efficiencies of scale.
Many car companies have investigated making hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and have mostly decided to abandon that effort. Mercedes Drops Fool Cells gives you a quick explanation on why hydrogen is not a goo choice of fuel for cars. For a more detailed explanation watch Real Engineering’s video The Truth about Hydrogen.
Stay tuned for another article on Michigan’s Volkswagen Settlement Webinar detailing how MDEQ plans on spending the rest of the funds.
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