GM Launches Dealership EV Charging Network

The US has a huge part to play in the fight against climate change. In particular, its population’s love of large, gas guzzling vehicles is a major contributor to global warming. The electrification of transport in the country would go a long way to bringing its carbon emissions down. The main problem with trying to raise adoption of EVs, particularly outside the main population hubs, is the lack of infrastructure to support EVs. Geographically, the US has a very low population density, which makes the installation of a charger network very expensive. The country is also pretty unique in that many states have laws that mandate dealerships for the sale and servicing of vehicles. Tesla has had problems with this type of law in the past when it was blocked from using its sell directly to the customer strategy in some states. The states that have adopted those type of laws also tend to be pretty rural, these include Texas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana, Alabama and South Carolina. This means that the states that would have the biggest expense to upgrade their infrastructure, are also states with lots of dealerships. So why not support dealerships to install EV charging hubs in the best local locations?

That is the thinking behind GM’s latest initiative. The automotive giant has just launched an project that will see it place EV charging facilities in its dealerships across the country. The first of these community charging stations in Wisconsin and Michigan were also announced at the launch. 1,000 dealerships - a quarter of all GM dealerships in the US have enrolled in the plan. The program initially opened to Chevrolet dealers earlier this year and will expand to Buick, GMC and Cadillac dealers in January 2023. Many of these dealerships will be in rural and underserved areas. Participating dealers can receive up to 10 19.2-kilowatt Level 2 charging stations.

The plan aims for GM to install up to 40,000 Level 2 charging stations across the U.S. and Canada through the program. That number is double the number of public Level 2 charging stations currently in the US. The charging stations will be available to all EV drivers.

“Nearly 90% of the U.S. population lives within 10 miles of a GM dealership. Our dealers are well positioned to determine locations that expand access to EV charging, including at small businesses, entertainment venues, schools and other popular destinations,” said Hoss Hassani, vice president of GM EV Ecosystem. “Our dealers will be the catalyst for EV adoption in communities that would otherwise have limited EV infrastructure.”

FLO was selected as the charging station provider for the program and supplied the initial charging stations. The company’s manufacturing facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan, will serve as the primary production location for the program’s charging stations.

Wheelers Chevrolet GMC was the first dealer to participate in the program and recently installed its first charging stations at several locations in Marshfield, Wisconsin. Young Chevrolet Cadillac was next to install its first charging stations at Memorial Healthcare Wellness Center in Owosso, Michigan. Dealers in Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Ohio and Washington state are expected to install their first chargers in the weeks and months ahead.