International dealer West Michigan International announced the opening of Michigan’s first public commercial EV charging station at its Kalamazoo location. Located off I-94, one of the largest freight corridors in the Midwest, the station is optimized for commercial vehicle charging. It will also provide 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,” says 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.”
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 highly skilled personnel across its five locations, as well as a round-the-clock emergency break down, towing, and recovery service. With EVs becoming an industry focus, Rietman and his team decided to invest and aide 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,” Rietman says. “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.”
NEXT eMOBILITY
Navistar’s brands, International and IC Bus, have the largest dealer network in North America with more than 700 locations. International and IC Bus dealers, with support from Navistar’s NEXT eMobility team, help 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 as well as 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.
Finally, Jason Gies, vice president, eMobility Business Development, says the development of charging infrastructure is critical to zero-emission vehicle success. He says it makes eMobility proud to work with West Michigan International to help create a charging network.
Find out more, visit www.navistar.com/our-path-forward/zero-emissions.
