West Michigan International announced the grand opening of Michigan’s first public electric commercial vehicle charging station at its Kalamazoo location.

Located directly off I-94, the new electric vehicle charging station is optimized for commercial-vehicle charging and will give fleets the ability to charge larger vehicles, including Class 8 electric trucks. The DC fast charger features two 24-hour charging hookups. 

“We understand that time is money in the commercial vehicle industry, which led us to install one of the fastest chargers offered,” said Ed Rietman, dealer principal, West Michigan International. “Similar to diesel fueling stations, drivers who utilize these public chargers will have the convenience of paying at the pump and getting in and out quickly.”

Truck Dealer Staying on Top of Changing EV Technology

Rietman, International Truck’s 2019 North American Dealer of the Year, has grown West Michigan International to include more than 90 service bays with 280 skilled personnel across its five locations, as well as a towing and recovery service. With EVs becoming an industry focus, Rietman and his team made the decision to invest and aid customers in the transition.

“Our main goal looking forward is to stay aligned with advancing technologies so we can offer the best services to our customers,” said Rietman. “Every business decision we make is with the customers’ best interests in mind, and we hope to deploy chargers at all our dealerships in the near future.”

International and IC Bus dealers, with support from Navistar’s NEXT eMobility team, are helping prepare customers for the transition to EVs. 

The chargers at the West Michigan International in Kalamazoo were installed with support from Navistar’s charging partner, InCharge. The dealership worked closely with Navistar’s NEXT eMobility team to plan, coordinate, and install the vehicle charger. NEXT operates around a model that provides an end-to-end solution for customers looking to transition their business operations to EVs.

“As the industry prepares for the increased adoption of zero-emissions commercial vehicles, the development of a robust public charging infrastructure is critical to that success,” said Jason Gies, VP, eMobility Business Development.