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    1. e-Mobility

    Michigan State University converting Vehicle Fleet to full Electric by early 2030s

    April 27, 2022
    The transition to EVs will reduce the university’s carbon footprint by 18,945 metric tons. MSU currently has 369 internal combustion engine vehicles in its fleet
    Image credit MSU
    Michigan State Ev Event 62694b6f2a632

    Michigan State University will convert 369 internal combustion engine vehicles in its fleet to fully electric vehicles over the next decade and further this effort to convert additional university vehicles, up to the 1,100 MSU owns.

    The move will contribute to its goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and decreasing GHG emissions by 50% from the 2010 baseline. The conversion will reduce the university’s overall carbon footprint by 18,945 metric tons.

    Initially, MSU has purchased 40 EVs, which include sedans, minivans and light-duty pickup trucks. Delivery of these EVs is expected in summer. MSU is also adding to its electrical charging grid through Consumers Energy’s PowerMIFleet program to support the new vehicles.

    Additionally, it is investing in two DC fast chargers for public use through the PowerMIFleet program, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy’s ChargeUp Michigan program and Capital Area Transportation Authority. These chargers will be at the Capital Area Multimodal Gateway on Harrison Road. The chargers will be up and running in fall.

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    “We at Consumers Energy are excited to power Michigan’s electric vehicle transformation, including 1 million vehicles on our state’s roads in less than a decade,” said Brian Rich, Consumers Energy’s senior vice president and chief customer officer. “MSU’s commitment is an important part of that transition and signals to the entire MSU community that the time for EVs has arrived. We are pleased to be a partner in these efforts through our PowerMIFleet program.”

    The MSU’s other sustainability efforts include the installation of 100ft2 of transparent solar glass in its Biomedical and Physical Sciences Building, the establishment of a large solar carport array – the largest in North America – covering 5,000 parking lots, and plans for a 20MW solar array to generate sufficient energy to power 6,000 homes. 

    About the Author

    EnergyTech Staff

    Rod Walton is senior editor for EnergyTech.com. He has spent 14 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist.

    Walton formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.

    He can be reached at [email protected]. 

    EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids.

    Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.