Yahoo Autos Polaris wins Michigan grant to build off-road charging network
Two years ago, Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer's office announced the Lake Michigan EV circuit, a network of Level 2 and DC fast chargers covering a tourist-heavy corridor along Lake Michigan. Looks like state authorities are turning their attention to tourist needs in Michigan's Upper Peninsula (U.P.), the outdoor playground that welcomes a ton of powersports enthusiasts. The state's Office of Future Mobility & Electrification (OFME) created new initiative to partner with private enterprise, the Mobility Public-Private Partnership & Programming. The MP4 is providing Minnesota-based powersports company Polaris a $700,000 grant to build a charging network for electric off-highway vehicles (OHV) along 120 miles of the public off-road trail system in the Upper Peninsula.
Polaris says the buildout will begin later this year. The company's partnering with Austin, Texas-based Yotta Energy, which will provide hardware like charging stations. The charge points are said to be "an integrated, scalable charging solution designed with solar production capability that can be grid-connected or operate completely off-grid," and will work with trail-approved electric rigs like side-by-sides, ATVs, motorcycles and snowmobiles.
