General Motors is about to do what it claims is the largest deployment of Level 2 EV chargers in North America.
The automaker this week announced the official launch of its Dealer Community Charging Program with the installation of the first charging stations in Wisconsin and Michigan. GM aims to install up to 40,000 Tier 2 chargers in the US and Canada through the program. Those chargers will be open to all EV drivers, not just GM vehicle owners.
GM is find its dealers to deploy these chargers. According to GM’s press release, since the program was announced in October 2021, nearly 1,000 dealers have signed up. GM said registration opened for Chevrolet dealers earlier this year and will expand to Buick, GMC and Cadillac dealers in January 2023.
Electrify America Level 2 Charger with Chevrolet Bolt and Nissan Leaf
“Participating dealers are eligible to receive up to 10 19.2 kW Level 2 charging stations,” the automaker said. “GM then connects dealers with installation suppliers as needed to place charging stations at key community locations.”
While dealers will install these chargers on their properties, GM has stressed that chargers are intended for communities and areas with “high dwell times,” not dealers. The carmaker says the goal is to expand charging access in “underserved urban and rural areas where EV charging is often limited or non-existent”.
Unlike some other programs, this won’t help drivers who hail rides in urban areas, but it could help those who want an electric car but don’t live on a predictable charge. guess—for example, they share the driveway or live with another 120-volt charger.
GM Ultium 2022 Charger Series for home charging
This is just part of GM’s toll scheme. On the road side, GM is planning 500 EV fast charging stations with Pilot to form a coast to coast network. GM and another charging supplier, EVgo, announced a partnership to help reduce city fees—in that case, with fast charging included.
To guide drivers to these different new charging locations, GM plans to aggregate access to charging unified brand appincluding its own charger plus other networks’ chargers.
Other efforts — both private and public — aim to fill in the gaps on the electric vehicle charging map. 7.5 billion USD federal EV charging network will include a lot of charging deserts, but it’s really just a start. Convenience store have also made their own appeal to reach rural America.
