Lansing seeks input on 50 new EV charging stations

Residents across the Greater Lansing area can weigh in on where up to 50 new electric vehicle charging stations should go, as a regional coalition moves to spend an $8 million federal grant on EV infrastructure in Clinton, Eaton and Ingham counties.

The City of Lansing Public Service Department launched a survey asking where new chargers are most needed and how the region should plan for future transportation, according to the city's announcement. The survey is open to all residents, workers, students, businesses and visitors. Participants do not need to own or drive an EV to respond.

The survey takes about five to seven minutes.

The grant behind the project

The $8 million comes from the Federal Highway Administration's Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program. The Biden administration awarded the grant in January 2024 to a Lansing-led coalition as part of a $623 million national round funding 47 projects across 22 states and Puerto Rico.

The project, called the Michigan Capital Area Regional EV Charging Gateway Initiative, is a five-year effort to increase EV charging and alternative fueling infrastructure for commercial and public fleet vehicles in the region, according to the Michigan Infrastructure Office. The new charging stations are also meant to reduce barriers to EV ownership for residents who lack home charging, according to the city.

When the grant was announced in January 2024, then-Mayor Andy Schor said, "With this grant, we will be able to expand community-based infrastructure specifically related to energy-efficient electric vehicle supply equipment."

Zachary Kolodin, then Michigan's chief infrastructure officer, said at the time that the grant would "support the development of EV charging hubs throughout the Capitol region, particularly in Downtown Lansing and university hotspots."

Who's involved

The coalition includes the City of Lansing, City of East Lansing, Meridian Charter Township, Williamstown Township, Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, Michigan Clean Cities Coalition, Michigan Department of Transportation, the Lansing Board of Water & Light and the Lansing School District, according to East Lansing's project page.

A map of tentative charging station locations is available through that page.