Do electric cars or chargers come first? While on the West Coast, the chicken-or-egg dilemma is on the charger side — with projects like West Coast Expressway made the public fall in love with the idea more than a decade ago — the Great Lakes state and the traditional heart of the auto industry waited until more electric vehicles appeared before coming up with a plan on a broader scale.
Good thing they’re coming — vehicles and chargers. On Friday, Michigan held a ceremony to install the first of about 15 EV charging points “over the next few years” at a series of state parks and state fish hatcheries.
The site, which is essentially on Lake Michigan beach at Holland State Park, has already demonstrated its first charge on a Rivian R1T pickup.
Rivian is providing an “open network” Rivian Waypoints charger for this and other sites for free, while the nonprofit Adopt a Charger will provide technical support and more. That sounds like what Rivian sponsored in the offering at Yosemite and Golden Gate.
Rivian Waypoints charges destination
Like other Waypoints chargers, this one is Level 2, which means you probably can’t count on these to charge for serious road trips — instead to add some range. vi makes sense for a few hours when you enjoy the beach or go hiking. Rivian’s Waypoint devices provide maximum power of 11.5 kW and range up to 25 mph for R1T electric pickup or The R1S . electric SUVaccording to the electric truck manufacturer.
The station will actually be part of what the Lake Michigan EV Circuit announced last September. Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s office later, in a press release, called the circuit “the best new ride for electric vehicle owners in America,” noting the emphasis on travel and identification. Realize that several other chargers along the way will offer fast DC charging to fill the gap.
With an estimated total of 30 chargers to be installed in the initial phase of the project — state parks are part of that — it is hoped to transform the area and route, extending to Lake Michigan and inland, into an eco-tourism destination. That might be more likely to appeal to electric car drivers from Chicago, Milwaukee and perhaps the Detroit area, without worrying about range. In general, you have to drive about 900 miles around the entire lake.
Ideas can also make their way into the area — although it will soon require action. Last October, the governors of Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin signed a memorandum of understanding to coordinate vehicle toll efforts—Includes provisions for charging medium and heavy duty trucks. Most of these surrounding states are in the early stages of planning their own electric vehicle charging networks — and are likely watching to see if the travel idea works.
