Late last year, General Motors announced its Dealer Community Charging Program, designed to expand EV charger access. Since then, nearly 1,000 GM dealers have enrolled in the program – about a quarter of all in North America. GM is offering participating dealers up to 10 Level 2 charging stations to install at key locations throughout their communities.
Wheelers Chevrolet GMC in Marshfield, Wisconsin, was the first dealer to participate in the program. The dealer installed chargers at the area's two parks, a library, and a sports complex. Young Chevrolet Cadillac installed its first charging stations at Memorial Healthcare Wellness Center in Owosso, Michigan.
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These are just the first, as dealers in Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Ohio, and Washington are preparing to install theirs in the coming weeks and months. The program will open to Buick, GMC, and Cadillac dealers in January.
The program is part of GM's broader effort to increase EV charger access. The automaker aims to install 40,000 Level 2 charging stations across the US and Canada, doubling the number of public Level 2 charging stations. GM selected FLO for its community charger program, with the company building the equipment in its first US factory located in Michigan.
According to the automaker, nearly 90 percent of the US population lives within 10 miles of a GM dealership. "Our dealers are deeply involved and trusted in their communities and are well positioned to determine locations that expand access to EV charging," said Hoss Hassani, vice president of GM EV Ecosystem. They can choose schools, small businesses, entertainment venues, and other popular destinations in the community for the chargers.
GM's dealer program is part of the company's broader effort to increase access to charging stations for everyone, not just their customers. The automaker is investing nearly $750 million to expand public access, including collaborating with Pilot Company to build a fast-charging network alongside US highways and working with EVgo to install 3,250 fast chargers throughout the country by 2025. GM also has relationships with 11 EV charging networks, opening up an additional 110,000 chargers to its customers.
