EV road trip postcard: Learning the ABCs of charging in Michigan’s UP
- Because of sparsely-distributed chargers, the Upper Peninsula is known as Michigan’s most difficult region for EV drivers.
- So the Bridge Michigan crew was surprised to find themselves cruising across the peninsula with no worries.
- The secret: Charging overnight and waking up with a full battery.
ST. IGNACE — The Upper Peninsula is known as an electric vehicle desert, with just 11 fast chargers available in a nearly 16,500 square-mile area.
Meet us in Menominee!
Who: The Bridge Michigan EV road trippers
Where: Stephenson Bakery, 4000 10th St. in Menominee
When: 8-10 a.m. on Friday
We want to get to know our readers and hear your thoughts about the EV transition. Come have a donut and a cup of coffee on us! We’ll also have a limited supply of Bridge Michigan swag to give out.
So we are happily surprised Thursday to be breezing across U.S. 2 without a care in the world. The secret: Waking up with a full charge.
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- EV road trip postcard: A century of history and burgers in Zeeland
After our brush with a near-empty battery the day before, we had a much easier time on Wednesday as an overnight charge left us with 260 miles to burn.
That meant it was time for fun, including quintessential Michigan summer stops at a winery and a lavender farm near Petoskey, cruising through the Tunnel of Trees just north of Harbor Springs and having dinner at Legs Inn in Cross Village, which is known for its lush gardens and stunning view of Lake Michigan. (Thanks for the suggestion, readers!)
With some trial and error, we plugged in at a Tesla Supercharger station in Mackinaw City at the end of the day before crossing the bridge to Straits State Park in St. Ignace, where we stopped for the night.
A bit of luck: The rental car agency had provided us with the adapter needed to plug into the electricity pedestal at our campsite — something others had told us not to expect.
We were already 80% full from the Mackinaw City stop, but the overnight charge pushed us to 100%, as we drove off Thursday morning into the great charging unknown of the Upper Peninsula.
Our first stop was at the Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum in Naubinway, which just installed a new Level 2 donated by a group of EV owners.
We didn’t exactly need the juice, but several EV users had offered us a three-letter mantra for long-range travel in an EV:
ABC
Not that kind of ABC.
When it comes to EVs, it’s Always Be Charging.
Come along for the ride
Bridge Michigan’s EV Road Trip starts Monday and lasts five days. We want readers to come along for the ride.
- Follow along: We’ll document our journey on Bridgemi.com Instagram and Facebook and send daily postcards from the road. To receive them, sign up for our free Environment Watch and Business Watch newsletters.
- Tell us: From Muskegon up to the Mackinac Bridge and along US-2 in the Upper Peninsula, what are your favorite spots? Where should we go?
- Questions: What do you want to know about EVs? What makes you curious about this journey? What would persuade you to make the switch from a gas-powered car?
- Advice: If you’re an EV owner, what advice do you have for us?
Don’t be shy: Reach out to us at khouse@bridgemi.com, pgardner@bridgemi.comand alewis@bridgemi.com
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