Benzinga | Nov 3, 2021 09:22AM EDT

Blink Charging Awarded Grant Funds To Deploy DC Fast Chargers By Michigan Consumers Energy And The Michigan Department Of Environment, Great Lakes And Energy

Blink Charging Co. (NASDAQ:BLNK, BLNKW))))) ("Blink" or the "Company"), a leading owner, operator, and provider of electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment and services, today announced that it has been awarded a grant from Michigan Consumers Energy and an additional grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) for the installation of DC fast charging stations across the state of Michigan. The six DC fast chargers were installed at two separate locations in Traverse City and Clare, Michigan.

These grants are part of a larger effort by the state of Michigan to create a strategic, accessible network of EV chargers for its residents and visitors and are funded by the Michigan Consumers Energy "Power MI Drive" program and EGLE. The EGLE grant is funded through the Volkswagen mitigation trust fund as part of the emission settlement and comes at no cost to the Michigan taxpayer.

"We are thrilled to have been awarded these grant funds from Michigan Consumers Energy and EGLE and to continue to grow our footprint of EV chargers in the state," said Brendan Jones, President of Blink Charging. "Minimizing barriers to EV charging is critical to increasing consumer adoption of EVs, and these new fast charging locations provide residents and visitors the confidence in Michigan's charging infrastructure needed to help drive the electric mobility transformation."

The chargers are equally distributed between two strategic locations in Traverse City and Clare, Michigan, with the grant award locations including agreements between Blink and consumer brands that will serve as site host partners. Specifically, in Traverse City, Blink deployed three DC fast chargers at a Burger King along route 31, serving the many travelers that visit the popular travel region. In Clare, Blink deployed three DC fast chargers at Witbeck's Family Foods off of State Route 127, providing easy dwell-charging access to residents and supporting efforts to turn Route 127 into a robust charging corridor.

The Michigan grant award further increases Blink's footprint in the state. The company recently announced the deployment of 27 charging ports at six locations across Traverse City in partnership with Traverse City Power & Light and funded in part by a grant from EGLE.