Southeast Michigan Communities Plug into Electric Vehicle (EV) Fleet Expo and Ride & Drive

Last month, SEMCOG hosted the Community EV Fleet Expo and Ride & Drive at Canton Township’s beautiful Summit on the Park. This event featured electric vehicles with community fleet use cases including but not limited to:

• public works
• community transportation
• school buses
• public safety vehicles
• EV charging infrastructure display models

The significance and appeal of this opportunity were underscored by the turnout of more than 150 E-curious attendees, comprised of representatives from local and county governments, fleet managers, as well as representatives from school districts and community colleges across Southeast Michigan.

The EV Expo

Attendees had the opportunity to interact with a selection of Electric Vehicles, which included the Pontiac School Ford E-Transit Cargo, the City of Ann Arbor Chevrolet Bolt EUV inspection vehicle, the Ford Mach-E public safety vehicle, public safety E-Bike, and Canton Administration’s Ford Mach-E.

At this event, GM featured the first ever All-Electric Silverado, while the BrightDrop team showcased the BrightDrop Zero walk-in Van; NAVISTAR displayed an Electric School Bus; and the Lafontaine Municipal Fleet team showcased an All-Electric Ford F-150 Lightning and a Plug-In Hybrid Chrysler Pacifica Minivan. An E-450 Vehicle was also featured by Fontaine Modification.

Experiences Shared by Early Adopters

Attendees also had the opportunity to connect with a lineup of subject matter experts and early adopters exhibiting at the event including Oakland Schools, the City of Ann Arbor, Monroe County Community College, the State of Michigan Department of Environment Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), as well as regional clean mobility organizations including Clean Fuels Michigan, and Michigan Clean Cities.

A number of different Michigan-based EV chargers were on display, including the Red-E Level 2 Commercial charger as well as the DUNAMIS Level 2 Commercial EV charger.

DTE representatives highlighted the Charging Forward eFleet program. As part of this program, communities (DTE customers) can sign up for free Advisory Services, apply for charger rebates, and receive up to $2,500 per port for Level 2 Chargers and up to $70,000 per charger for DC Fast Chargers.

The Lunch and Learn

Welcome remarks were provided by Pauline Repp, SEMCOG Chair and Mayor of the City of Port Huron; Assad Turfe, the Wayne County Deputy County Executive; and Anne Marie Graham-Hudak, Supervisor of Canton Township. Each highlighted the importance of leading by example. Michele Economou Ureste, Executive Director of Workforce Intelligence Network (WIN), facilitated a Panel Discussion on the Road to Community Fleet Electrification.

At this panel discussion, Scott Benson, the City of Detroit Councilperson, Matt Kulhanek, the City of Ann Arbor Fleet and Facility Manager, as well as Erin Quetell, Oakland County Chief of Environmental Sustainability Officer shared their perspectives, success stories, and lessons learned with the audience.

View the lunch and learn recording.

Highlights from the discussion include the importance of:

• Taking incremental steps
• Adopting Green/Clean Fleet policy – local e.g. City of Ann Arbor Green Fleet Policy
• Support from elected officials, and community residents
• Educating municipal staff on these new technologies, upskilling and reskilling staff through in-person and online training

The panelist mentioned the following key considerations:

• Serving both community fleets and the community EV charger needs – local e.g. City of Royal Oak EV Study 2023
• Understanding the municipal fleet operations, and working with different departments including sustainability, finance, and fleet-using departments.
• There is higher capital cost associated with electric vehicles, while the cost saving occurs on the operational and maintenance side

Panelists also encouraged attendees to take advantage of available funding opportunities, including:

• Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) – The application deadline is December 1, 2023
• Fuel Transformation Program
• National Cooperative Purchasing Programs: Climate Mayors Electric Vehicle Purchasing Collaborative
• DTE Charging Forward eFleet Rebate Program

For additional funding opportunities please visit the State of Michigan Community EV Toolkit’s Funding Opportunities Page.

Ride & Drive

Attendees made EV Ride & Drive appointments for up to two Electric Vehicles from a lineup of:

• Chevrolet Bolt EUV
• Ford Mustang Mach-E
• F-150 Lightning
• Ford E Transit
• VIA Class 3 Van
• VIA VTRUX Class 3 Chassis Cab vehicles

Participants got firsthand experience by test-driving vehicles of their choice around the Summit on the Park during the event, while also benefiting from insights from industry specialists regarding the vehicles’ features and performance.

This event exemplified a successful partnership among public and private organizations, spanning the state, regional, and community levels, all united by a shared mission to drive Michigan and Michigan communities towards a more sustainable, economically robust, and equitable transition to the future of clean fuel Transportation. SEMCOG is eager to continue working with all stakeholders to provide technical support to Southeast Michigan communities throughout the EV Fleet transition. For additional resources on community Fleet electrification, please visit the State of Michigan Community EV toolkit – Fleet Electrification page.

Questions? Contact Beheshteh Makari at [email protected], Planner, SEMCOG Transportation Planning and Programming.