Michigan PSC approves second phase of DTE’s Charging Forward electric vehicle pilot
DTE Electric gained the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) approval last week to begin the up to $10.3 million second phase of its Charging Forward electric vehicle pilot program.
This will take several forms: an electrification education and outreach plan for Michigan’s commercial fleet operators, support for those operators looking to make the switch, funding for service connection upgrades and credits for customer-owned contributions on construction, along with rebates for charging infrastructure. The $10.3 million will go toward operation and maintenance costs of this phase, covering from 2021-2025.
Costs undertaken by the program will be reviewed for reasonableness in DTE’s next general rate case. However, data from the program will help the MPSC adjust how it handles challenges and values the potential benefits that will come with the increased electric load from residential and commercial customer-owned electric vehicles. As such, DTE will be expected to include reports on the second phase of the Charging Forward program in both its quarterly and annual reports, as well as its annual Charging Forward technical conference.
While the program has been ongoing since May 2019, the MPSC has now directed DTE to file a comprehensive pilot plan, including objective criteria adopted through MPSC’s MI Power Grid initiative earlier this year. This, the commission says, will provide greater transparency as the company scales its EV program.
Currently, the fleet portion of the Charging Forward program’s first phase has been fully subscribed.
