The state of Michigan has announced a federally funded prototype program known as the Mobility Charging Hub, intended to help companies transition fleets to commercial EVs and to test new technologies, digital services and business models for accelerating commercial EV deployment at scale and improving the truck stop experience. The program will also support passenger vehicle charging.

Some $13 million in funding is available, and Michigan has secured initial partnerships with Daimler Truck North America (DTNA) and DTE Energy to test and implement solutions related to EV innovation, fleet management and ease of travel.

The Mobility Charging Hub will be located at DTNA’s Redford facility near I-96. In the program’s first phase, to be operated by DTE, core infrastructure will be established, including EV charging solutions, solar canopies and battery energy storage systems. Third-party operators will be sought for value-added services. The next phase will enable the Hub as an innovation testing platform, similar to such sites as the Detroit Smart Parking Lab, Michigan Central and the FLITE Program at Gerald R. Ford International Airport.

A federal grant of $8.5 million from Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) to Michigan’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME) will also establish a program through the Mobility Charging Hub that will help fund future on-site activations.

“Our Mobility Charging Hub will help more companies electrify their fleets, cement Michigan’s leadership in the future of freight, and rebuild our transportation infrastructure to support the economy of tomorrow,” said Michigan Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II.

Source: Michigan Economic Development Corporation