Collaboration utilizes Volta’s PredictEV® analytics and media-supported charging to accelerate the switch to EVs within lower-income and environmental justice communities
SAN FRANCISCO – Volta Inc., an industry-leading electric vehicle (“EV”) charging network powering vehicles and commerce, today announced its paid partnership with the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME) and DTE Energy (DTE). This marks Volta’s sixth agreement with an investor-owned electric power utility and second with a state agency in support of equitable, efficient, and accelerated deployment of EV charging infrastructure.
Michigan’s OFME and DTE are funding the use of Volta’s PredictEV® software product to identify locations that would be most utilized within underserved areas, ensuring the most efficient use of public investment. PredictEV analyzes disparate data sources, including local mobility, demographic, commercial, and site-specific data, to provide high-resolution answers to key EV infrastructure questions. Insights provided by PredictEV include expected EV adoption, optimal charging locations, the right mix of charging infrastructure, and corresponding societal benefits such as CO2 mitigation, air quality improvement, and improved health outcomes.
“The transition to electric mobility should benefit everyone. This program is squarely targeted at improving equitable access to EV charging infrastructure in Michigan, and it leverages the unique strengths of DTE, Volta, and the State of Michigan, together,” said Drew Bennett, Executive Vice President of Network Operations at Volta. “We are proud to partner with the OFME to bring more Volta stations to Michigan in areas where they will make the most impact.”
With the support of the OFME’s Michigan Mobility Funding Platform, Volta and DTE will install EV charging stations within lower-income and environmental justice communities. DTE will use the Volta Media™ Network to educate consumers on EV benefits and available incentives that make owning an EV more affordable upon installing the charging stations. This proactive messaging encourages the switch to EVs, accelerating the health, safety, and economic benefits electric mobility brings to an area.
In 2021, Volta and Southern California Edison (SCE) collaborated to distribute a similar EV awareness campaign in underserved communities. The impact was a 72 percent increase in driving or owning an EV in the targeted regions.
“Our mobility ecosystems are most effective when they can provide real value and opportunity within all of Michigan’s communities, regardless of the size or income of the area,” said Trevor Pawl, Chief Mobility Officer with the OFME. “We are pleased to support Volta and DTE as they work jointly to improve the accessibility and equity of our EV charging locations. This is a key step to ensuring wide-scale EV ecosystem adoption across the state.”
“Our partnership with Volta supports cleaner transportation solutions where we live and serve,” said Tony Tomczak, Vice President of Electric Sales and Marketing, DTE. “This initiative is one of the many ways DTE is working with our state agencies to promote transportation electrification for all.”
Along with DTE, Volta’s utility partners include SCE, Southern Company (which operates Georgia Power, Alabama Power, and Mississippi Power), and Tucson Electric Power. These utilities collectively serve an estimated 32 million Americans and cover areas that, as forecasted by Volta’s PredictEV product, will witness more than an 800% increase in EV adoption by 2030—a shift that would avoid nearly 10 million metric tons of CO2 emissions.
