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The remote town of Onaway, Michigan—population 880—is not an obvious pick to install a new electric vehicle (EV) charging station. While most EV charging stations today are in urban areas or along expressways, Michigan’s electric cooperatives are planning for a different future. Placing chargers in rural areas will allow EV drivers to visit smaller communities, while providing a boost to local economies.

Michigan’s electric co-ops began deploying EV charging stations several years ago. Notable milestones include when Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op (PIE&G) installed the first co-op public charger at Tom’s Family Market in Onaway (2017), and when Cherryland Electric Cooperative partnered with Blain’s Farm & Fleet in Traverse City to install the first Level 3 DC Fast Charger in Northern Michigan (2020).

This year, PIE&G and Great Lakes Energy plan to add 54 additional public EV charging stations throughout rural Michigan.

Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op

PIE&G is set to deploy over 50 EV charging stations. The co-op’s new headquarters building will include 15 chargers total—12 (Level 1) for employee charging and three (Level 2) for member and guest parking. PIE&G is also collaborating with member organizations to install 36 high-power Level 2 stations across its service territory.

“We view the deployment of EV charging stations in northeast Michigan as a two-pronged approach to growth,” explains PIE&G CEO Tom Sobeck. “First, the presence of charging stations makes the purchase of an EV more attractive to our members. They’ll be able to take trips with less anxiety as the charging stations will provide some reassurance that a re-charge is available.  Secondly, it opens our region to tourists who own EVs. Both cases promote the use of EVs in our region and enhance the area’s economic prospects.”

Not long after their EV station in Onaway was energized, PIE&G installed the next two charging stations at  Briley Township Park in Atlanta and at Albert Township Park in Lewiston. For the remainder of their installations, PIE&G will give priority consideration to education and health care facilities, grocery stores, parks, and locations along major travel routes. EV drivers will be able to add as much as 60 miles of range per hour plugged in, depending on the vehicle, while dining at a restaurant or shopping in town.

Great Lakes Energy

Great Lakes Energy will unveil a new charging depot in Scottsville this spring. The depot will house 4 Level 3 DC Fast-Chargers in close proximity to its co-op facility along U.S. Highway 10.

It’s an ideal location for people traveling from Grand Rapids, Holland or Muskegon to get a charge on their way up to Traverse City, Petoskey or even Mackinaw City. A short 30-minute stop at the charging depot will supply drivers with an 80% charge.

“It’s part of our mission to embrace new technology,” said Brett Streby, communications and marketing manager for Great Lakes Energy. “There are many benefits of electric vehicles that pique the interest of our members. As an electric co-op, we want to foster that interest and help with the initiative.”

The cost to bring these new EV chargers to rural Michigan was partially funded by the Wolverine Power Cooperative economic development fund and a grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE).

By expanding the state’s EV charging network in communities throughout rural Michigan, co-ops hope to improve environmental health, economic development and quality of life.

Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op (PIE&G) continued the recent trend by holding its 83rd Annual Membership Meeting as a live, online event. The meeting was live streamed from the co-op headquarters building in Onaway via Zoom video conference. A multi-camera setup allowed directors in attendance to stay 6-feet apart and only remove face coverings when presenting.

“This was a really creative solution,” said PIE&G President/CEO, Tom Sobeck. “We were able to honor the spirit of our Annual Meeting, while keeping within COVID-19 safety guidelines.”

Sobeck provided a co-op update during his CEO message and answered questions submitted by members regarding construction progress on PIE&G’s new headquarters facility, expansion of natural gas service, Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) high-speed internet, and paperless billing. Member questions were collected during the online registration process, with the most common being selected for discussion during the online event.

PIE&G approached MECA for help with its plan to hold the virtual annual meeting. MECA quickly agreed to fill the behind-the-scenes technical role with its live production equipment and in-house technical expertise.

“It looked like a TV station had moved into our board room,” said Board Chairman, Allan Berg. “We were really impressed with how MECA helped us produce the meeting, and how professional the final result looked.”

Chairman Berg (Presque Isle District) was among three incumbent directors elected to a 3-year term (2020-2023) at the annual meeting. The other successful directors were John Brown (Cheboygan District) and Charles Arbour (Montmorency District). Berg also facilitated the virtual annual meeting, along with co-op attorney, Michael Ekdahl.

Members gave the online event high marks in a follow-up survey and indicated that they would be likely to attend future virtual meetings, if the co-op were to hold them. Many members that participated in the virtual event had never attended a PIE&G Annual Meeting in-person before.

“COVID-19 has disrupted the way we conduct business, but this Annual Meeting was also an opportunity to engage with members in a new way,” said Sobeck. “We really appreciate the effort MECA put into helping us film and produce this event.”

A full recording of the Annual Meeting is available at PIEG.COM