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Oct 14, 2023

Detroit's Belle Isle Park adds EV charging stations

Detroit's Belle Isle now offers two new, self-pay fast-charging stations for

Detroit's Belle Isle now offers two new, self-pay fast-charging stations for electric vehicles, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced Monday.

The pair are the first EV chargers at a state park in southeast Michigan, the department said in a statement.

The stations use technology that accelerate the charging process by converting AC power to DC power directly to batteries, which can be charged in as few as 10 minutes depending on the vehicle's voltage capacity and battery level, according to the release.

Users pay through the EV Connect app.

Operated by an operating agreement with the DNR and Diatomic Energy, a Detroit-based EV charging service provide, the chargers dispense up to 350 kW and are backed by solar and wind energy generated off-site through DTE's MIGreenPower, state officials said.

The sites are located in the Belle Isle Nature Center parking lot on the northeast tip of the island. A Michigan Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry to the park."We're really excited to work with Diatomic Energy, DTE Energy and EGLE on this project," said Chuck Allen, DNR Parks and Recreation Division department analyst. "As part of a plan to help expand the footprint of EV chargers in the state, there is also an additional effort underway to install chargers at several state parks and a state fish hatchery over the next few years."

Through a partnership with Adopt a Charger and electric vehicle automaker Rivian, more than a dozen Level 2 EV charging sites are planned for installation this year, according to the DNR website.

Besides Belle Isle, chargers are available at Bay City State Park in Bay County and Holland State Park in Ottawa County.

Last week, U.S. and Canadian officials announced the first Binational EV Corridor between the two countries that will have electric vehicle chargers every 50 miles along the nearly 900-mile stretch from Kalamazoo to Quebec City.

EVs made up 5.8% of new car sales in the U.S. last year, according to AutoForecast Solutions LLC, and are expected to rise to nearly 9% in 2023.