DTE Energy “Charging Forward” Program
By Beth Florkowski of Fausone & Grysko, PLC posted in Environment on Monday, June 17, 2019.
On June 4, 2019, DTE Energy announced its new “Charging Forward” program. This program is designed to encourage electrical vehicle adoption by educating their customers and offering incentives.
Among the reasons someone may be concerned driving an electric car, DTE states that “limited consumer awareness and range anxiety, or the fear of running out of power before reaching a destination, are two factors suppressing electric vehicle acceptance.”
The “Charging Forward” program will provide a rebate up to $500 to residential customers who either purchase or lease a new or used electric vehicle. Along with purchasing the electric vehicle, residential customers looking for a $500 rebate must install a qualified level 2 charger and enroll in a special rate that is beneficial for electric charging.
DTE’s business customers are also offered monetary incentives in the form of $2,500 per port and $20,000 per charger. This rebate is offered when installing level 2 or DC Fast chargers only.
The new “Charging Forward” program is attempting to spread the demand on the electric grid by encouraging customers to charge their electric vehicles outside of their peak hours of energy use. Along with the monetary incentives, DTE is forming partnerships to extend charging stations in public areas. This program is going to help DTE understand the electric vehicle market and its customers more thoroughly. This will provide benefits to their customers.