Consumers Energy Supports Five Michigan Service Organizations with Electric Vehicles

New Accessible EVs Will Serve People in Grand Rapids, Ionia, Flint, Midland

JACKSON, Mich., Nov. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers Energy is providing electric vehicles to five organizations in West Michigan and the Great Lakes Bay region, extending the energy provider's commitment to power Michigan's EV transformation for everyone.

"Consumers Energy is working to ensure electric vehicles meet needs for people, businesses and, in this case, groups that serve thousands of people across our state," said Lauren Snyder, Consumers Energy's vice president of customer experience. "We're excited to help these organizations put wheels on the road, stretching their dollars and serving communities with clean energy-powered transportation."

Consumers Energy is helping the following organizations transition to EVs. They should be receiving their vehicles by the middle of next year:

• Messiah Baptist Church in Grand Rapids - One Ford e-transit van with wheelchair accessibility and charging station
• Greater Grand Rapids NAACP - One Chevrolet Bolt and charging station
• Ionia Dial-A-Ride - Two Ford e-transit vans with wheelchair accessibility and two charging stations
• Mass Transportation Authority in Flint - One Ford e-transit van with wheelchair accessibility and charging station
• Midland Dial-A-Ride - One Ford e-transit van with wheelchair accessibility and charging station

The organizations are receiving EVs in partnership with PowerMIFleet ("Power My Fleet"), a Consumers Energy program providing expertise and financial rebates to businesses considering electric vehicles. PowerMIFleet sets aside funds to promote equitable access to clean transportation, supporting nonprofits and customer fleets that serve disadvantaged communities. Consumers Energy is also helping 11 Michigan school districts to add electric buses.

This summer, Consumers Energy also kicked off an effort to promote EV charging for community and multifamily locations, meeting the needs of drivers who don't have their own house or driveway.

"Electric vehicles come in all shapes and sizes, whether it's your personal car, a business fleet vehicle or a van that carries seniors to medical appointments. That means we have to find creative approaches to meet those varied needs," Snyder said. "We are developing solutions for everyone we serve as we work to power up to 1 million EVs by the end of the decade."

Consumers Energy has provided incentives for over 4,000 EV chargers for homes, businesses and along roads across the Lower Peninsula. Those include 40 fast chargers that can power an EV battery in a half hour.

Electric vehicle sales continue to accelerate in Michigan. Consumers Energy today is powering over 30,000 EVs across Michigan, more than triple the number from the end of 2020, according to publicly available data.

Learn more about Consumers Energy's EV programs: ConsumersEnergy.com/EV.

Consumers Energy is Michigan's largest energy provider, providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.7 million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

For more information about Consumers Energy, go to ConsumersEnergy.com.

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SOURCE Consumers Energy