Grand Valley State University’s Kennedy Hall of Engineering hosted one of a series of town hall meetings Monday to discuss the environmental benefits of electric vehicles and promote the growth of the electric vehicle industry in West Michigan.

Five panelists attended, including Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell, to promote the role of the electric vehicle industry in creating more Michigan jobs.

Rob Ozar, manager of electrical operation of the Michigan Public Service Commission, said the main problem with the growth of the electric vehicle industry was the public’s concern with the lack of charging stations in West Michigan. He said consumers wary of the drivability range and the availability of public charging stations have less desire to buy an electric vehicle, which makes the infrastructure of charging stations critical for expanding electric vehicles manufacturing.

Greg Northrup, president of the West Michigan Strategic Alliance, said if more people know that there are charging stations around and that they would not be left stranded, they would buy more electric vehicles.

Officials reported that in order to get charging stations at scale, there would need to be about 4,600 charging stations in Michigan to meet the needs of the public and keep them reassured that they would not be left stranded.

Northrup added that 60 percent of our debt goes to buying oil in outside countries, suggesting that if people to buy electric vehicles, it would save money, the environment and jobs. However, the only way for that to happen is to improve the infrastructure of charging stations to encourage the purchase of the vehicles.

“The trend pricing of gas is not going down,” Northrup said.

Northrop said when the price and mileage of a Chevrolet Volt, an electric car, was compared to a combustion engine car, the Volt could be paid off in 2.5 years with the gas savings.

Bob Synk, a Chevrolet Volt owner, discussed his experience with the car. Synk said he wanted an American vehicle that was fuel-efficient, and he got that with the Chevy Volt. He said can make the 43-mile round trip to his job and back without the worries of polluting the air or losing battery life.

A full charge for the Volt at his home charging station takes about 10 hours, but at the public station outside his work, it only takes about 4 hours to obtain a full charge, which lasts about 40 miles, depending on the weather and the speed of travel.

“I think the city can play a significant role in advancing the development of electric vehicles by making charging stations available,” Heartwell said.

The city of Grand Rapids has already placed five charging stations, and one home station is privately owned. The stations are located in parking structures and ramps in downtown Grand Rapids.

“The role of the city right now is to make a statement and to push the envelope… we’re making a commitment, we’re making the investment because we think this is the leading edge of technology,” Heartwell said.

[email protected]