Area electric vehicle charging stations seeing usage

Electric vehicles have joined the fleet of gasoline- and diesel-powered engines on local roads in the last several years. That's brought a drive for public charging stations at numerous places across western Wayne and Oakland counties.

But are these stations getting used?

When it comes to the few stations near the VisTaTech Center at Schoolcraft College in Livonia, Vice President and Chief Academic Officer Rich Weinkauf said the answer is unequivocally yes.

"The number of charging sessions has increased each year that the stations have been online, with over 2,000 vehicle charges accommodated in 2015," he said. "Over the years, the number of unique drivers that have taken advantage of the charging stations on the campus has increased, indicating more adoption of battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in the area."

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There are several charging stations across the region, with some of those in charge of maintaining them saying usage has justified their existence. Several surrounding communities contain such stations on public and private property, including Novi, Milford, Livonia, Canton, Westland, Redford, Lyon and Birmingham.

The college campus off Haggerty has four stations on campus for vehicles to plug into at no cost. They were installed in 2010 and have seen increased usage since that time, pumping out more than 59 megawatts of power in that time, Weinkauf said.

More expected statewide

With some places, such as Schoolcraft College, seeing increases, other charging stations appear to be pretty even when it comes to usage. Such stations would include the three in downtown Milford, which were installed in 2011.

Village manager Christian Wuerth said Milford did have as many as six stations when they were first installed, but some mechanical issues forced the village to take some out of commission. Still, with three stations available, Wuerth said he typically sees a few of the parking spaces occupied by vehicles charging on a routine basis.

"It was felt that going down to three wouldn't really harm the ability to use the charging stations," he said. "We're still seeing about the same numbers, about one or two cars at a time.

"It kind of mirrors the rest of the parking demand."

And growth is something that could happen statewide. One company that sees the value of these charging stations and could increase the number offered in Michigan is Consumers Energy. The power company has installed more than 55 charging stations across Michigan since 2011, with consumer charging stations available in Livonia, Royal Oak and Groveland Township in northwest Oakland County. Other stations operate in other parts of the state on Consumers Energy's power grid, including in Jackson, Mason and Lansing. The company has another 40 designated specifically for the company's fleet vehicles.

Chris Weber, the company's director of alternative energy solutions, said they continue to see increased usage of these stations statewide. He expects those figures to increase, especially as electric vehicles become more accessible to middle-class consumers.

With leases ending on first-time electric vehicles, as well as the introduction of other electric vehicles such as the Chevrolet Bolt, Weber said there are about 30 models on the market that can utilize charging stations.

"People have a greater understanding now then they did five years," he said. "It's something that's not financially out of reach anymore."

dveselenak@hometownlife.com | 734-678-6728 | Twitter: @DavidVeselenak