DTE offers $2,000 in subsidies, special charging rates for EVs

DTE Energy, one of Michigan’s two energy giants, offers up to $2,000 in subsidies to people who drive electric vehicles. 

The company offers a $1,500 rebate to people who buy or even lease an electric vehicle.

Don’t have an EV? Not to worry, DTE’s EV showroom will help you sort among eligible choices.

There are income limits — $99,440 for a family of three — and only certain EVs are eligible. Leases or purchases made since Dec. 1, 2022, are eligible.

In 2022, Michigan had 36,900 electric vehicles registered, per the U.S. Department of Energy. That’s more than double the 2021 number, 17,500.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants 2 million electric vehicles on Michigan roads by 2030, and she has enlisted the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy in that goal, as well as the Michigan Public Service Commission.

The public service commission, Michigan’s energy regulator, last year directed DTE to make peak-hour pricing mandatory in Southeast Michigan. All of DTE’s rate plans for EVs include peak-hour charging, and all offer deep discounts for off-peak charging.

DTE offers a $500 rebate to people who install a home charger for their EV. There are three levels of EV chargers; DTE’s rebate applies to level 2 chargers installed after Dec. 31, 2021.

While DTE believes it has the capacity to handle 800,000 EVs in its imprint, the company has struggled during weather-related events, with extended power outages in February, March and July.

After the back-to-back outages in February and March, and losing power for 10 of 14 days, Cathleen Russ of Royal Oak testified before the Michigan House Energy Committee. 

“Gov. (Gretchen) Whitmer wants Michigan to be the leader in electric vehicles,” Russ told lawmakers. “I would not accept an EV right now if you gave me one. Gov. Whitmer’s goals and the current state of DTE are clearly at odds.”