OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — GRBJ—As electric vehicles continue to grow in popularity, a local partnership will help determine the need and demand for electric vehicle chargers in Ottawa County.
County leaders recently have teamed up with Hope College to conduct what they said will be a first-of-its-kind countywide electric vehicle charging assessment, a study that will help prepare the county for the era of the electric vehicle (EV).
In Michigan, EV registrations climbed nearly 60% in the past year, according to data from the Secretary of State. State leaders anticipate 2 million total EVs in use by 2030 as the auto industry, energy providers and policymakers strive to make EV adoption more convenient and affordable.
For Paul Sachs, director of Ottawa County’s department of strategic impact, the anticipated surge in EV usage along with so many current unknowns requires a better understanding to better prepare.
“Ottawa County is the fastest growing county in the state of Michigan, and we see this proliferation of electric vehicles happening,” Sachs said. “What do we do? What do we need to do to get ready?”
Already in the midst of conducting some EV charger research, an opportunity arose for the county to collaborate with Hope College's Center for Leadership (CFL) Consulting Program, which offers college students real-world experience to conduct research and solve problems for businesses, nonprofits and government organizations.
With guidance from Sachs and his department, four CFL students will conduct the assessment beginning this fall with mentor Bob Bieri, senior vice president and general manager for Grand-Rapids based Lacks Enterprises, an automobile parts manufacturer.
“Envisioning and preparing for the needs and desires of consumers who have yet to participate in the EV market is an awesome challenge and it will require unique collaboration,” Bieri said. “We are truly grateful for this partnership.”
In addition, CFL received underwriting for this opportunity through Consumers Energy, Michigan’s largest energy provider helping lead the EV transformation.
When Consumers reached out to the county and presented the offer for students to research and help solve a relevant issue, Sachs said he immediately thought of EV charger infrastructure.
“As we've started to do some of our research here internally before we started this collaboration with Hope College, we recognize that the state of Michigan is investing public tax dollars and charge stations along major highway corridors,” Sachs said. “But that more than likely won't be enough, especially when we look at our population distribution across Ottawa County where we're not close to the highway corridors.”
For Sachs, preparation will be the key to equipping the county to handle the growing demand. He thinks about the recent initiative to increase broadband internet access in Ottawa County in a similar way.
“We need to get out front of this one way sooner than we did with broadband infrastructure where, at the drop of a hat, there's stay-at-home orders and everyone is required to utilize broadband internet, but they don't have the infrastructure,” Sachs said. “That cannot happen again with the electric vehicles.”
Currently, publicly available chargers in Ottawa County are not widely available. Sachs mentioned stations at destinations such as Holland State Park and at the Courtyard Marriott in downtown Holland. The assessment will collect foundational information regarding the actual availability within the county.
The assessment, which will be split into a fall 2022 and spring 2023 session, will include spatial and technical analyses of suitable charger locations, along with, but not limited to: equipment and maintenance options; ownership structures; best practices; and a thorough cost-model of anticipated multi-year expenses and revenues, infrastructure needs and limitations.
According to Sachs, the students likely will participate in field research, conduct focus groups, use geographical information systems, examine population growth within the county and investigate broader consumer trends.
An important element to this work also includes determining whether this type of infrastructure is best supported by public tax dollars or privatization, or even a combination thereof.
“We know there's several companies that are starting to think about putting these charger stations in,” he said. “That's very important research to pin down because as the private sector starts to invest in the charging station infrastructure, I think that's a very valuable business model that we need to be aware of and help collaborate with the private sector on what that overall infrastructure looks like.”
Aside from infrastructure and cost, Sachs has several questions as to what the future of EVs will look like in a practical sense in terms of user experience.
EV chargers currently exist at three different levels, but only Level 3 chargers are equipped to offer a rapid charge. Sachs estimated there are very few available stations that support this type of charge in Ottawa County and wondered whether the power grid can handle the load.
He also wondered whether these types of chargers could keep up with demand.
“We're a society that operates at a very rapid pace … what if a consumer has the expectation of going somewhere to charge and having to wait in line because there are already people there to do that?” Sachs said. “That’s such an interesting scenario to me.”
Of course, the research could provide some better answers. He said he hopes the students will conduct the assessment in a way that enables them to envision a personal experience of having an EV and what those practical questions involve — questions like how would they want to use their car? Where would they want to charge it? How long would they want to wait to charge it?
As technology continues to evolve, however, Sachs said the county’s understanding must continue to evolve as well. In these beginning stages, he wants to be strategic and said he feels thankful for the partnerships already in place to help determine the future.
“It is a large-scale, important undertaking, and I'm grateful for the partnership with Hope College and for the support of Consumers Energy to help underwrite this study for Ottawa County,” Sachs said.
“To get to a point of understanding and to have more robust conversations, which will be the next step, we’ll need the data first. And that is how we’re strategically moving forward down this path.”
This report originally appeared in the Grand Rapids Business Journal.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.