EV Forums cover new infrastructure, costs, rebates, charging

MONROE — For more than 35 years, Charles Mansfield of Frenchtown Township has been a professional diesel truck driver.

Four years ago, he embarked on an electric vehicle experiment, swapping his personal 2007 minivan with a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Minivan.

“I drive heavy diesels all day. I’m the last guy you’d expect to buy an EV,” Mansfield told attendees at one of Saturday’s two EV Forums hosted by Monroe County Community College and Monroe County Library System. “I’ve been following EVs since 2008 or ’09. I took the leap (in 2020). I wanted to see what I could get out of a hybrid.”

In four years, he’s seen savings, in both gas costs and maintenance.

“I fuel up an average of one time a month now. I cleaned out my wallet (recently) and had $1,700 in cash. My wife gives me $100 a week for lunch and expenses. That’s how much money I saved in a year. That’s what I saved not buying gas,” he said.

Today, his van has 60,000 miles.

“I just had my fourth oil change since 2020. I have another 40-50,000 miles before I have to change the brakes. I’m on my first set of tires,” he said. “I went into this, not for environmental reasons and not just trying to save money. I was just curious about the technology and if it is really what the engineers I hear say it could be. It's been more than I ever imagined. I’m really geeked out about electric cars. I’ll never purchase another gas vehicle (for myself). My wife, I’ve about got her there.”

Mansfield was one of several area residents and EV leaders who attended the forum at Ellis Library & Reference Center in Monroe. Another was held at the Bedford Branch in Temperance. Among the attendees were Joei Lemanski, assistant to the sales manager, and Karissa Lomas, both from Monroe's Friendly Ford; Sen. Joseph Bellino Jr.; Luna Pier Mayor Jim Gardner; and Peter Coomar, dean of the Applied Science and Engineering Technology Division at MCCC. A few in the audience didn’t own EVs and wanted to learn about the technology. Two DTE Energy employees spoke about infrastructure, demand and rebates.

Attendee Danielle Brooks of Monroe has been a Lyft and Uber driver for five years. Three weeks ago, she began driving clients in her new Chevrolet Bolt EUV.

“I have a degree in geo-tourism, in sustainability. It’s about protecting natural wonders, like national parks,” Brooks said. “Getting an EV was on top of my list.”

She said she's already seeing savings.

“I just love it. There’s less cost for gas, a lot less," she said. "I used to go to the gas station every other day.”

Brooks is using public fast chargers, like the ones in downtown Monroe, but, she’d like to charge at home. She came to the forum to get help finding an installer.

Forum attendee Milena Marku, DTE Energy’s manager of transportation and electrification and an EV driver herself, said DTE can set customers up with an installer and even put the fees on their monthly electric bills.

Marku said more EVs and more public chargers are coming to Monroe County.

“Prepare for the widespread use of EVs, because it’s coming. Electricity is a new source of fuel. We are using local fuel generated in southeast Michigan,” she said.

Marku said DTE is supporting installation of more than 7,000 chargers in southeast Michigan. This area currently has 46,000 EVs. From 2022-23, sales of EVs increased by 32 percent, she said.

An attendee asked if the electrical grid can withstand all the EVs.

“With the current adoption levels, capacity is not an issue,” she said. “We are looking at investment ahead, anticipating distribution grid plans and the forecast in our area. We are forecasting 300,000 EVs by 2028. That level of EV adoption requires roughly 240,000 chargers, mostly residential. We are planning to put close to $150M in ensuring capacity upgrades are brought near those locations.”

Ryan R. Lowry, who works in electric communications for DTE Energy, said Monroe is the “superhighway for the entire region’s energy grid. Monroe is important in this area,” he added.

Marku encouraged EVs buyers to apply for DTE’s rebates.

“Our rebates aren’t going to be around forever. They are stackable with other funding. Try to purse the available rebates while they’re still around,” she said.

Mayor Gardner attended both forums. Recently, Luna Pier got a National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure fast charger.

“We are a former coal plant community. When (Consumers Energy’s J.R. Whiting plant) closed, we lost 65 percent of our revenue. This will put us on the map as a destination,” Gardner said.

Former state legislator Bill LaVoy has owned EVs since December, 2022. Today his family has four. He brought and showed several chargers.

One attendee asked if running heat and air conditioning greatly drains a vehicle’s charge.

Tom Harold, retired electronic director from MCCC, said older EVs had resistive heat, which was bad for range. Newer ones use a heat pump, which greatly reduces drain.

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LaVoy said with newer EVs, comfort doesn’t have to be compromised.

“I want to drive like I drove a gas-powered car,” LaVoy said. “The technology’s about there. You don’t have to compromise.”

Those new to EVs also worry about finding public charging. Coomar believes charging will keep up with EV demand.

“Get out of the mode of thinking, where can I find a charger? Gasoline stations came after there was demand,” he said.

Tom Adamich, MCCC’s electric vehicle awareness coordinator and forum organizer, was pleased with the events.

“There was a lot of good information,” he said.

— Contact reporter Suzanne Nolan Wisler at swisler@monroenews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: EV Forums cover new infrastructure, costs, rebates, charging