Michigan lawmakers are considering legislation that would mandate all new houses in the state to include electric vehicle charging stations.
House Bill 6180, introduced by state Rep. Phil Skaggs, D-East Grand Rapids, is pending before the House Committee on Energy, Communications, and Technology. The proposal is among the bills Lansing Democrats introduced in their last-minute flurry of activity before losing trifecta control of state government during this year’s lame-duck session.
Under the measure, new single-family dwellings built starting Jan. 1, 2025, with a dedicated parking space must have at least 6 kilowatts of power capacity — a so-called Level 2 charger — available for electric vehicle charging. New multi-family dwellings built starting Jan. 1, 2025, must have at least 19 kilowatts of power capacity for electric vehicle charging available for each five parking spaces.
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The measure also gives the state’s Bureau of Construction Codes the power to increase or add requirements on top of the minimum standards outlined in the legislation.
The push comes as new home construction in Michigan is taking longer. The Home Builders Association of Michigan said the delay is not just due to a workforce shortage but also includes connecting power to homes.
“If we are going to meet the Governor’s housing and economic growth goals in our state, we need all the entities that touch and impact the residential building industry to row in the same direction,” Home Builders Association of Michigan CEO Bob Filka said in an October release.
“We need to see utility companies create a more efficient and timely process for connecting power to homes, we need local units of government to realize that delays in their process increase the cost of housing, and we need state departments [such as the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy] to find a way to streamline their process so approving permits that historically take 30 days to issue don’t take months,” Filka added. “We’re seeing progress on this front, but too many still have an approach that stymies housing development at a time when we need it most.”
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Adding a charging station is potentially costly, depending on several variables, including the type installed. According to Car and Driver, there are three levels of charging stations.
Level 1 charging equipment is the most convenient as it plugs into the average 120V outlet, but it slowly charges a vehicle’s battery. A Level 3 charger, often called a DC fast charger, is the quickest vehicle charger and can handle higher voltages.
A Level 2 charger falls in the middle and could still take about eight hours to charge a vehicle. According to BobVila.com, a Level 2 charging station costs $600 to $1,200, less expensive than a Level 3 charging station, which can cost up to $35,000. The national average to install a charging station is $959.
According to Kelley Blue Book, motorists could expect to pay $67.66 monthly to charge their electric vehicle.
Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has repeatedly signaled her support for electric vehicles.
In December 2023, Whitmer signed an executive order requiring the state’s vehicle fleet to be converted to zero-emission vehicles by 2040. According to CBS News, only three of Michigan’s 8,000 vehicles were electric when Whitmer issued the decree.
Despite the support from the upper echelon of Lansing, EVs haven’t represented a boon for business for the Wolverine State’s vehicle manufacturers.
General Motors plans to sell its ownership interest in a Delta Township electric vehicle battery plant funded partly by the state’s largest taxpayer incentive package ever awarded. Additionally, national security threats have emerged from a Mecosta County electric vehicle battery component plant projected to receive $715 million in taxpayer subsidies.