DETROIT, Sept. 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The energy at
Detroit's Beacon Park became even
more electric today when Project Kinetic, a unique collaboration
between the public, private and philanthropic sectors, launched
ChargeD in downtown Detroit. The
four ChargePoint DC fast charger stations, the first-of-their-kind
deployed in the city, enables people to fast-charge their electric
vehicles (EVs) while enjoying the park and learning about the
benefits of EVs and mobility technologies. The project, led by DTE
Energy with support from the City of
Detroit, PlanetM, General Motors and Blue Energy, places
downtown Detroit on the roadmap
for EV technology and infrastructure deployment while continuing to
position Michigan at the forefront
of future mobility solutions.
DTE Energy and Blue Energy led the installation of the project,
and General Motors brought four Chevrolet Bolts to demonstrate the
company's commitment to an all-electric future. Two more chargers
will be installed at Capitol Park, a public space programmed and
managed by the Downtown Detroit Partnership.
As manager and facilitator of the ChargeD project, DTE Energy
was responsible for providing the electrical infrastructure and
upgrades for the fast chargers.
"DTE's accelerated path toward a clean energy future is well
underway. We are excited to join our customers, partners and
community stakeholders as we work together to reduce carbon
emissions," said Camilo Serna, vice
president of Corporate Strategy, DTE Energy. "We are thrilled to
lead the partnership effort to bring DC fast charging to the city
of Detroit and we look forward to
further deployment of EV charger infrastructure, and bringing the
benefits of EVs to our customers."
Blue Energy, a Corrigan Company that works with technology
partner ChargePoint, is the owner/operator of the chargers. Blue
Energy and DTE Energy will collect and analyze data for all four
chargers.
"We're excited to expand our footprint in downtown Detroit with such an extraordinary group of
companies and to work in collaboration with our partners to
implement this project," said Mike
Corrigan, president of Blue Energy.
The ChargeD initiative furthers the City of Detroit's downtown accessibility
priority of improving traffic conditions and parking offerings for
Detroit residents and
visitors.
"Project Kinetic helped build a set of pilots for the
City of Detroit that were informed
by both Detroiters and the private sector. ChargeD will allow
residents, employees and users to have access to fast charging
technology, create an opportunity to educate the community about
electric vehicles and understand what it will take to scale this
program across Detroit. It also
helps achieve goals concerning clean air, mobility, and the climate
crisis, outlined in the recently released Detroit Sustainability
Action Agenda," said Joel Howrani
Heeres, director, Office of Sustainability, City of Detroit.
General Motors has a long-standing working relationship with the
City of Detroit and sees the
ChargeD initiative as an important step in providing fast, easy
charging while educating the public about the benefits of EV
ownership.
"General Motors is committed to an all-electric future with zero
emissions and cleaner air for all. The ChargeD initiative is a
positive step forward to increasing the education and awareness of
EVs and advancing EV infrastructure in Detroit. The new fast chargers in Beacon Park
will help make owning a Chevrolet Bolt EV and other EVs more
convenient than ever for people across Detroit," said Jordan
Catrine, EV Charging & Infrastructure manager, General
Motors.
PlanetM, the mobility-focused brand and business development
program of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, also
played an instrumental role in the deployment of ChargeD.
"The ChargeD initiative showcases the opportunities that
public-private collaborations bring to our communities," said
Jeff Mason, CEO of the Michigan
Economic Development Corporation. "By coming together, we're able
to successfully identify, create and deploy mobility solutions that
address transportation challenges statewide, strengthening
Michigan's nationwide leadership
in mobility."
ChargePoint worked closely with DTE on the initiative and
collaborated with Blue Energy to deploy the right technology for
ChargeD. Leveraging the company's fast-charge and software
solutions, Blue Energy owns and will operate the ChargePoint
Express 250 fast chargers in Downtown
Detroit as part of the project.
"ChargePoint is committed to creating solutions that enable the
transport of goods and people under electric power and is proud to
partner with so many stakeholders to make ChargeD a win for not
only Detroit, but electric
mobility more broadly," said Rich
Quattrini, vice president of Customer Solutions at
ChargePoint. "The fast-charge hubs that make up this initiative set
an example of how public, private and utility partnerships can be
used to drive the electrification of transportation and provide a
benchmark for other efforts around the country. This is a
significant milestone for EV adoption in Detroit and around the state of Michigan. Public-private partnerships like
this are the clearest path forward for communities transitioning to
a cleaner transportation future."
NextEnergy and the Downtown Detroit Partnership have also teamed
up to develop strategy and planning for educating consumers,
businesses and communities about the benefits of EVs via multi-year
programming. Support for the ongoing education and programming at
Capitol Park is provided by grants from the Michigan Department of
Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and the Michigan
Economic Development Corporation/PlanetM.
Formed in January 2018, Project
Kinetic is a unique collaboration between the public (City of Detroit, Michigan Economic Development
Corporation/PlanetM), private (General Motors, Lear, DTE Energy,
Quicken Loans Community Fund, Bedrock Detroit, Boston Consulting
Group) and philanthropy sectors with a common goal of identifying
and deploying innovative solutions for the toughest mobility
challenges facing Detroit. ChargeD
is one of five Project Kinetic pilot programs, and the second to
launch in the city. The first, Car4You, which provides low-cost
vehicle access by the hour in Detroit's Osborne neighborhood, launched in
August 2019.
About DTE Energy
DTE Energy (NYSE: DTE) is
a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the
development and management of energy-related businesses and
services nationwide. Its operating units include an electric
company serving 2.2 million customers in Southeast
Michigan and a natural gas company serving 1.3 million
customers in Michigan. The DTE portfolio includes energy
businesses focused on power and industrial projects, renewable
natural gas, natural gas pipelines, gathering and storage, and
energy marketing and trading. As an environmental leader, DTE will
reduce carbon dioxide and methane emissions by more than 80 percent
by 2040 to produce cleaner energy while keeping it safe,
reliable and affordable. DTE is committed to serving with its
energy through volunteerism, education and employment
initiatives, philanthropy and economic progress. Information
about DTE is available at dteenergy.com, empoweringmichigan.com,
twitter.com/dte_energy and facebook.com.
About Michigan Economic Development
Corporation/PlanetM
The Michigan Economic Development
Corporation is the state's marketing arm and lead advocate for
business development, job awareness and community development with
the focus on growing Michigan's
economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives,
visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. To learn more about Michigan's leadership in the revolution in
transportation, visit PlanetM.com. Michigan has a unique and vast ecosystem that
is leading the way in transforming the way people and goods are
transported across all modes of transportation. Join the
conversation on: LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.
About Downtown Detroit Partnership
Downtown Detroit
Partnership strengthens and supports Downtown Detroit through strategic initiatives
and programs. DDP convenes business, philanthropic and government
partners to create a vibrant and resilient urban core for
Detroit and the surrounding
community. DDP is responsible for programming, managing and
operating several of Downtown
Detroit's parks and public spaces. For more information,
visit downtowndetroit.org.
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SOURCE DTE Energy