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Oct 11, 2023

Calumet Village tapped for GM electric charger program

Jun 3, 2023 CALUMET — Calumet Village may be getting electric vehicle chargers.

Jun 3, 2023

CALUMET — Calumet Village may be getting electric vehicle chargers. General Motors is working with a company to have chargers installed in local municipalities and identified Calumet as a possible partner. Calumet could receive from one to four Level 2 charging stations, each capable of charging two vehicles simultaneously.

Calumet Village Manager Megan Hazelden said the company that contacted her is the State Electric Company.

"The actual company that the lease would be through is called Charge EV, LLC," she said.

Hazelden said the company contacted her with an invitation to participate in the General Motors Dealer Community Charging Program.

Hazelden said that when she spoke with the State Electric Company representative, she was given the impression that GM is interested in working with State Electric on installing charging stations in areas that have been identified as possible high-traffic areas, including the village of Calumet.

Hazelden said the initial contact was to determine if the village would be interested in the program, and if so, could the Village Council identify some areas for potential installation of charging stations.

GM launched the Dealer Community Program in late 2021. Through the program, GM and its dealers are working together to expand charging access in communities, including under-served rural and urban areas where EV charging is often limited or non-existent.

Participating dealers are eligible to receive up to 10 19.2-kilowatt Level 2 charging stations. GM then connects dealers with installation providers as needed to place the charging stations at key community locations.

"To my current understanding," said Hazelden, "they would install the chargers, they would pay for all maintenance of the chargers, and would have their own utility transformer station," adding that if that is not possible, the company would connect the chargers into the village's electrical system, and would be re-imbursed for that. We would also get a revenue-share from it," she added, but said she was not sure what that amount would be. A sample lease she was given states the share would amount to three cents per kilowatt hour.

Hazelden said the council is considering having the stations installed near Agassiz Park, along the Fourth Street corridor, somewhere near the Agassiz Park parking lot. In that area, they would be near the park, in walking distance of shops and restaurants, providing people time to visit the downtown area during the hour or so that it will take to recharge their vehicle.

Village President Pro-Tem Pamela Que said she is excited at the prospect of EV charging stations.

"The biggest thing is," Que said, "is people say electric cars are going to take over. They’re not, but they’re here and they pass through Calumet, enough that charging companies are looking at bringing chargers here," adding, "Development is here, it's in the world, and it's coming to Calumet. That will reflect well on the village when there are electric vehicle chargers here, believe me."

GM states that ultimately, its aim is to install up to 40,000 Level 2 charging stations across the U.S. and Canada through the program, nearly doubling the current number of public Level 2 charging stations. These charging stations will be available to all EV drivers — not just GM EV customers — and will deliver the most power available to a Level 2 charger.

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