HOLLAND — As local communities like Holland tackle advancements in technology and reckon with growing resident demand for sustainability, electric vehicles (EVs) have reached the forefront of discussion.
For the past two decades, EVs have been a consideration, not a priority, for the average car owner. But over the past year, amid an ongoing pandemic and widespread acceptance of climate change after dozens of natural disasters, priorities have shifted dramatically.
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Now, more than ever, EVs are touted as one of the most effective ways of reducing the nation’s carbon footprint.
That’s evident in revisions to Holland’s Community Energy Plan, prepared by a specially appointed Strategic Development Team.
The proposal would move up the timeline for achieving Holland’s long-term goals for carbon emissions, with recommendations that include shifting new purchases of municipal-owned vehicles to EVs and incentivizing residents to go electric through promotion and education.
But for one retired teacher and Holland resident, Jeff Raywood, no additional incentive is needed.
“It’s ruining the environment,” he said. “We can’t go on burning fossil fuels.”
Raywood purchased his first all-electric vehicle in November 2019, after owning two hybrid models. His son also owns an EV.
“The mileage I get out of the EV supersedes a regular internal combustion engine amazingly,” Raywood said. “They’re so much more efficient, and electricity in Holland is already so cheap.”
When he’s not using power from the Holland Board of Public Works, Raywood uses solar panels to charge up.
“We’re lowering our dependence on fossil fuels,” he said. “It’s easy, especially if you’re an HBPW customer. They paid for 50 percent of my charger. It was $600. We called an electrician, he installed it and HBPW paid for half of it.”
When he’s on the road, Raywood uses his iPhone to locate the nearest charging station. Tesla has superchargers across the country, including one in Grand Rapids. An adapter allows Raywood to access non-Tesla charging stations.
“Meijer on 16th Street has a charger, and the first hour is free,” he said. “I’m 65. I’m not a young guy. I got my first iPhone maybe 14 months ago. If I can do this, anybody can.”
But it’s those charging complications, consumers say, that discourage them from making the switch.
That’s according to Joshua Bylsma of Tradion, a Grand Haven-based startup in the process of developing a “virtual power plant” that will support EV charging and energy storage — all through a monthly subscription that costs less than filling a traditional car with gasoline.
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“Accessibility is really the major driving motivation for us,” Bylsma said. “We realize the current model doesn’t make a lot of practical sense. You buy an EV, you bring it home, you get a charger with it, you plug that charger into the wall — and you realize, on average, you’re getting four miles of drive time for every hour you’re plugged in.”
Bylsma has found that 20 percent of first-time EV buyers revert to traditional cars over these issues.
“The systems that would charge an EV more quickly often cost more than the average EV owner is looking to spend,” he said. “The reality is, we love the idea of EVs. We’re all for it. But to charge it quickly, we have to go to a commercial site, and that takes time.”
Tradion officially launched about six months ago, but technology research and development has been in the works in Bylsma’s garage for two years.
“We’re about 12 to 18 months from scaling into manufacturing and entering the market,” Bylsma said. “But we’ve had a conversation with one of the Big Three and they’ve said they’ll participate in that round of funding. Our plan is to start in Michigan and, from there, expand throughout the country.”
Technology from Tradion will be universal, Bylsma said.
“We want to make it open, nothing proprietary, so anyone with an EV can pull up, plug in and charge,” he said. “From everyone we’ve talked to, charging is the Achilles’ heel of the EV market. We want to eliminate that barrier.”
The company will also aim to reuse battery packs from EVs.
“We’re finding the market is starting to generate these used battery packs, and people don’t know what to do with them,” Bylsma said. “But the reality is, even if they can’t be used in your car anymore, they have five to seven years of life in them. Instead of throwing them into a landfill, we want to use our system to repurpose those batteries into home storage.
“This way, our customer ends up being money-ahead and we’re really being sustainable in our use of these materials.”
Bylsma acknowledges Tradion isn’t the only company along the lakeshore looking to make EVs more accessible to the average buyer.
“If we all work together as an industry,” he said, “We can make this happen.”
It’s all part of a broader statewide and federal push for EV adoption. Some of America’s largest vehicle manufacturers, including Ford and General Motors, have announced sweeping plans to expand their EV lineup. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has called for half of all new vehicles to be electric or hybrid by 2030.
During the Mackinac Policy Conference in late September, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other state officials announced the Lake Michigan Electric Vehicle Circuit — a plan to add charging stations to communities, lighthouses and other spots along the shoreline.
The news followed Whitmer’s announcement earlier that week at Motor Bella in Pontiac about plans to create the country’s first section of public road for wirelessly charging an EV. Confirmation of the project would put Michigan in a race to beat Indiana to the finish line.
These are big changes for a state that currently ranks 41st in the nation for overall EV friendliness, according to an analysis from Bumper, a leading provider of vehicle history reports. The ranking is based on existing infrastructure, availability and growth of charging stations, as well as the cost to purchase and power EVs and the average travel time to work.
Large-scale adoption of EVs will depend on startups like Tradion and programs from electricity providers like HBPW in addition to state and federal policies.
Just this week, Consumers Energy announced it would expand home charging options for EV drivers with its “Bring Your Own Charger” program. The program will reward EV owners financially for charging their vehicles overnight at home — whether they purchased their charger separately or received it with their EV.
“(EVs) are coming on fast in Michigan, and Consumers Energy is committed to fueling that growth every way we can,” said Lauren Youngdahl Snyder, vice president of customer experience at Consumers Energy.
“We are removing barriers to EV ownership with ‘Bring Your Own Charger,’ and we’re powering the network to charge EVs, whether it’s at home or at public locations along Michigan’s roads.”
The company is planning 200 additional fast-charging locations, and over 2,000 chargers at homes and businesses, over the next three years.
“Talk to owners,” Raywood advises those considering the switch. “There are quite a few of us around town. The early adopters are more than willing to share our stories. Just ask us. Because it’s not about me, it’s about those who follow. Why not do it now?”
— Contact reporter Cassandra Lybrink at cassandra.lybrink@hollandsentinel.com. Follow her on Instagram @BizHolland.