Consumers Energy program to help businesses electrify their fleets

Consumers Energy is offering a new program to help businesses, governments and school districts electrify their vehicles.

PowerMIFleet will assist these organizations step by step in the transition toward electric vehicles, said Brian Wheeler, spokesman for the CMS Energy Corp. subsidiary. The Jackson-based utility will provide expertise and consultation services and $3 million in rebates for charging locations in its service area covering the Lower Peninsula's northern, central and western regions.

“Michigan was the birthplace of the American auto industry. Now, we are the center of the industry’s clean energy revolution,” Lauren Youngdahl Snyder, Consumers Energy’s vice president for customer experience, said in a statement. "Consumers Energy is putting the electric vehicle transformation into high gear with a major new program to help businesses statewide transition to carbon-free EVs."

The initiative is a more involved approach than PowerMIDrive, which offers rebates to businesses and residents to install charging stations. For both programs, the rebates for businesses range from $5,000 to $70,000 depending on the type of charger. The programs also employ time-of-use rates with higher prices during peak hours of electricity usage to encourage overnight charging.

PowerMIDrive has deployed more than 800 charging stations over the past two years, including 138 Level 2 chargers with another 62 coming, and 24 fast-charging locations with another 13 on the way. That represents $3.6 million in rebates.

The largest energy provider in the state, Consumers Energy expects to power 200 fast-charging locations and more than 2,000 chargers at homes and businesses over the next three years.

The PowerMIFleet program requires businesses to deploy at least one electric vehicle by 2024.

Businesses and eligible groups can learn more at ConsumersEnergy.com/PowerMIFleet.

bnoble@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @BreanaCNoble