GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- West Michigan is poised to become one of the first areas for hybrid vehicle owners to "plug-in," according to a WZZM-TV 13 news report.
Electric fueling stations are going to be made available in nine selected areas across the United States; West Michigan is one of those regions.
Next spring, electric cars will officially be introduced on the highways. General Motors will roll out the Chevy Volt. The Nissan "Leaf" will follow in the winter of 2011.
In preparation, the West Michigan Strategic Alliance has persuaded ChargePoint America [image-nocss] and a coalition of stakeholders, to bring more than 50 electric vehicle charging stations to West Michigan.
"They [ChargePoint America] agreed to incorporate West Michigan, but then they said we're going to need some help identifying where this technology could go because our focus has been on Detroit," Arnold Boezaart, director of the Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center at Grand Valley State University, said in the report.
Boezaart added that his group won't waste any time in unveiling these units to the West Michigan public.
"I'm hoping to have the first unit installed in the Muskegon area by the end of December," Boezaart said.
The initiative is being paid for with $35 million of stimulus money through the United States Department of Energy.
"There's more demand for these electric vehicles in the next 12 months than there is product," added Boezaart.
Along with Muskegon, Grand Rapids and Holland are the other two cities where the stations will be placed.
"A single charge at any location is not going to cost an arm and a leg," said Boezaart. "It's going to be a fairly affordable experience regardless of how it's handled."
Boezaart added, "The owners of the charging stations, those who are the early adopters and who will install these units, will make their own [cost] determination."
Click here to learn the requirements to apply for placement of a public charging station.
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