Nearly 20% of state’s population now live within a 10-minute round trip drive of a DC fast charging station, whereas more than 84% are within a 10-minute round trip of a gas station
East Lansing, Mich.—Anderson Economic Group (AEG) has released the results of their recent analysis on the state of the electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Michigan, finding that the number of charging stations increased significantly in 2023.
AEG found that, as of April 2, there are currently 311 public DC fast (over 75kWh power) charging stations and 1,141 Level 2 charging stations across Michigan.
In 2023, the number of public DC fast charging stations increased by 102, about 52% over the total of the prior years, when there were 196 charging stations. An additional 13 stations came online in early 2024. Michigan’s EV charging infrastructure growth rate is slightly higher than for the nation overall. In the US, the number of public DC fast charging stations increased by 47% in 2023. There are currently 9,177 DC fast charging stations in the United States.
AEG analyzed the geographic distribution of existing charging stations. Findings include:
- DC fast charging stations are concentrated in the lower half of the Lower Peninsula.
- They are further concentrated in mainly urban areas, including Detroit, Ann Arbor, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Kalamazoo. This is what AEG expects to see as there is higher demand in these population centers.
- There are relatively few DC fast charging stations in the upper half of the Lower Peninsula, with some available in Traverse City and along major highways.
- There are nine DC fast charging stations in all of Upper Peninsula. These are located in Marquette, Houghton, Hancock, Copper Harbor, Sault St. Marie, Brimley, Escanaba, Iron Mountain, and Norway.
Michigan has all three types of EV charging stations. The fastest are DC fast, charging an electric vehicle to between 20% and 80% per half hour. Because of their speed, most EV charging infrastructure investment focuses on this type of charging station.
Comparison: Michigan v. US EV Charging Station Infrastructure
Based on charging station data to date, Michigan ranks seventh in the number of DC fast charging stations in the United States. The top five states with the highest number of charging stations are California, Florida, Texas, Georgia, and New York. When AEG controls for population, Michigan ranks 23rd in the nation in the number of DC fast chargers per capita. The top five states with the highest number of charging stations per capita are Vermont, Maine, Wyoming, Oregon, and Colorado.
Comparison: Gas Stations v. EV Charging Station Infrastructure
AEG also compared the number of charging stations to the availability of gas stations across the state. While most EV buyers charge at home, many without that ability or those traveling need to access a public charging station while in transit, just as they would need to refuel at a gas station in a car with an internal combustion engine.
“Nearly 20% of Michigan’s population now live within a 10-minute round trip drive of a DC fast charging station, whereas more than 84% of Michigan’s residents live within a 10-minute round trip of a gas station,” said AEG’s Dr. Cristina Benton. “It is worth nothing that gas stations have multiple pumps while electric car charging stations typically have 2 ports, significantly inhibiting the number of cars that can charge at once.”
“Growth in the availability of charging stations may drive growth in demand for electric vehicles,” Dr. Benton explains, “as the limited availability of charging stations continues to affect demand for electric vehicles, with affordability being an additional dampening factor.” To address range anxiety, Michigan’s tourism hot spots, rural areas, and major transportation corridors “need more DC fast charging stations, and they must be reliably operational.”
The analysis uses data from the US Department of Energy Alternative Fuels Data Center, as of April 2.
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