Hillsdale County is home to only two electric vehicle charging stations, at a time when federal and state programs aim to increase electric vehicle usage and create a national electric vehicle charging network.

The two charging stations are in Jonesville, according to the Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center. There are no stations in the city of Hillsdale.

One of Jonesville’s two electric vehicle charging stations is in a public lot behind Olivia’s Chophouse. 

“The charging station is used more often than I expected,” said Olivia’s owner Jason Bugbee. 

Jonesville’s second electric vehicle charging station is on Beck Street near Walmart. The two-port charging station is powered by ChargePoint, a private electric vehicle charging infrastructure company.

The next closest charging stations to Hillsdale County are in Coldwater.

The Hillsdale Board of Public Utilities has no current plans to install electric vehicle chargers, according to Sam Fry, BPU’s marketing and communications coordinator. 

“We were very recently looking into possibilities for bringing more EV charging stations to Hillsdale County and are seeing what opportunities are available for grants or payment-matching programs through the state EV infrastructure initiative,” he said.

Fry said private businesses have expressed interest in offering charging stations, but officials are still waiting to see whether or not those plans come to fruition.

Hillsdale County’s demand for electric vehicles is low, along with its charging infrastructure, Fry said.

“We have not seen significant demand for EV charging infrastructure in Hillsdale at this time, although that could certainly change if we see mass EV adoption by the public in the coming year,” he said.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has sought to encourage the use of electric vehicles through her January plan offering additional rebates that, combined with a $7,500 federal tax credit, would save electric vehicle buyers in Michigan around $10,000 when purchasing a new vehicle. 

Additionally, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist announced in April that Michigan would provide $577,000 to new services designed to “expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure, increase access to electric vehicles, and broaden electric vehicle adoption in communities around the state.”

As part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the $1 trillion infrastructure bill President Joseph Biden signed into law in November 2021, earmarked funds dedicated to creating charging stations across the country will be used starting this month. The $7.5 billion specifically allocated for electric vehicle charging stations will be used under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program in supporting states as they accommodate higher electric vehicle traffic. 

The Department of Transportation and Department of Energy will use $5 billion of allocations from the infrastructure bill allocations over the next five years to help states build one electric vehicle charging station every 50 miles of the Interstate Highway System. The Biden administration’s goal is to construct a network of 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations by 2030.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act allocated more than $110 million for Michigan’s electric vehicle infrastructure over the next five years. To receive funding, Michigan and other states must “submit an EV Infrastructure Deployment Plan before they can access these funds,” according to a memo from the Federal Highway Administration. 

With recent inflation and fuel shortages, officials have tried to incentivize Americans to purchase electric vehicles through tax credits. Some argue this could combat fossil fuel use and stabilize the economy after the fuel shortage.

An Aug. 1 poll by the Pew Research Center found Americans are largely divided on the issue of transitioning to electric vehicles.  

“About four-in-ten Americans (42%) say they would be very or somewhat likely to seriously consider purchasing an electric vehicle the next time they’re looking for a new car or truck,” Pew research reported. “A slightly larger share (45%) say they would be not too or not at all likely to do this, while 13% say they do not plan to purchase a vehicle in the future.” 

Additionally, the poll found two-thirds of Americans support tax credits for electric vehicle purchases, an incentive the “Inflation Reduction Act” put in place after its Aug. 16 passage. Under this new legislation, electric vehicle owners can claim a $7,500 tax credit for up to 10 years after purchasing a new American-assembled electric vehicle.