Do Michigan utilities charge a demand charge on fast charging?

Not on the modeled schedules. Both DTE (D3) and Consumers Energy (GP) bill fast charging energy-only, with no per-kW demand charge — DTE under a filed carve-out through mid-2028, Consumers under a schedule closed to new business except fast charging. Whether that continues is an open question in both utilities' pending rate cases.

How heavy is Michigan's property tax on charging equipment?

Heavy in Detroit — around 3.5% of equipment value in year one, versus roughly 2.1% in suburban Oakland County. Neither the small-taxpayer nor the manufacturing property-tax exemption reaches fast-charging equipment, so it sits on the full commercial roll. Millage varies by city and the field is editable.

What charging rebates are available in Michigan?

DTE's Charging Forward pays up to $50,000 per fast charger ($70,000 in rural or disadvantaged areas) and reads as open. Consumers' PowerMIDrive carries a $70,000 ceiling but is currently fully subscribed and between rounds — confirm its status before counting on it.

ForgeAsset / Supercharger ROI / Michigan

Tesla Supercharger ROI in Michigan

Michigan is unusual in that both of its major utilities bill fast charging energy-only, with no demand charge — a deliberate, and contested, regulatory design in the auto industry's home state. ForgeAsset models DTE Electric's D3 and Consumers Energy's GP schedules against Michigan's tax stack, with the state's 6% electricity sales tax folded in.

Model a Michigan site

What makes Michigan economics distinct

Both utilities energy-only, and it's contested

Neither DTE nor Consumers bills a demand charge on the modeled fast-charging schedules — DTE carries a filed carve-out exempting EV fast-charging from its demand restriction until mid-2028, and Consumers' GP schedule is closed to new business except for fast charging. Most US utilities still bill fast charging on demand; Michigan's two largest do not, under an active regulatory question about whether that continues.

The auto industry's home state

Michigan has the densest automotive and mobility supply chain in the country, and multi-billion-dollar battery plants are coming online. It is a concentrated, forward-looking EV-manufacturing base, though total automotive employment has been contracting — so the demand thesis is concentrated rather than broad-based.

A heavy, uneven property tax that misses the exemptions

Detroit's commercial property tax is high by national standards — around 3.5% of equipment value in year one, against roughly 2.1% in suburban Oakland County. Neither of Michigan's two property-tax relief mechanisms reaches fast-charging equipment: the small-taxpayer exemption is capped below a typical site's value, and the manufacturing exemption excludes property used to distribute electricity.

Active utility rebates, unevenly available

DTE's Charging Forward pays up to $50,000 per fast charger, rising to $70,000 in rural or disadvantaged communities, and reads as open. Consumers' PowerMIDrive fast-charger rebate carries the same $70,000 ceiling but is currently fully subscribed and between rounds — a real asymmetry between the two territories.

Utilities and tariffs modeled in Michigan

Utility & tariff	Energy	Demand
DTE Electric D3	18.3¢/kWh flat	none (energy-only)
Consumers Energy GP	13.4¢/kWh flat	none (energy-only)

Rates are digit-verified against each utility's own filed sheets and update within two weeks of any revision. Full derivations are on the methodology page.

Michigan tax profile

Sales tax on hardware: 6%
Business personal property tax: 3.51% of equipment value (example rate)
Clean-fuels credit: no program
Per-kWh charging excise: none

Michigan tax defaults applied: no clean-fuels credit program exists in Michigan (the LCFS revenue line is $0), LLC costs use the $25/yr annual statement, sales tax is the statewide 6% with no local additions, and the property-tax default uses the City of Detroit example — roughly 3.5% of equipment value in year one, among the heaviest in the library, while suburban Oakland County runs near 2.1%; millage varies by city and the field is editable in later steps. Michigan's 6% sales tax on commercial electricity is already included in the DTE and Consumers tariff rates. Both utilities have pending rate cases; filed rates may change into 2027.

Michigan programs and incentives

DTE Charging Forward

Up to $50,000 per 150 kW fast charger for on-route public sites, rising to up to $70,000 in rural or disadvantaged communities; a fleet track offers up to $70,000 per fast charger. Reads as open to applications.

Consumers PowerMIDrive (currently closed)

A fast-charger rebate up to $70,000, capped at 100 rebates and currently fully subscribed with a waitlist; the utility has signaled another round. Verify current status before relying on it.

NEVI (federal, MDOT-administered)

Michigan's remaining formula funds (around $51 million) unlocked in 2026; a third procurement round targets roughly 60 more sites along I-69, I-75, I-94, and I-96.

Michigan charging market

Michigan carries roughly 41 Supercharger stations across the Detroit and Grand Rapids metros and the I-75, I-94, and I-96 corridors. Its economics are distinguished by two utilities that both bill fast charging energy-only — a genuinely uncommon design — against a heavy Detroit property tax.

Michigan Supercharger ROI — questions

Do Michigan utilities charge a demand charge on fast charging?: Not on the modeled schedules. Both DTE (D3) and Consumers Energy (GP) bill fast charging energy-only, with no per-kW demand charge — DTE under a filed carve-out through mid-2028, Consumers under a schedule closed to new business except fast charging. Whether that continues is an open question in both utilities' pending rate cases.
How heavy is Michigan's property tax on charging equipment?: Heavy in Detroit — around 3.5% of equipment value in year one, versus roughly 2.1% in suburban Oakland County. Neither the small-taxpayer nor the manufacturing property-tax exemption reaches fast-charging equipment, so it sits on the full commercial roll. Millage varies by city and the field is editable.
What charging rebates are available in Michigan?: DTE's Charging Forward pays up to $50,000 per fast charger ($70,000 in rural or disadvantaged areas) and reads as open. Consumers' PowerMIDrive carries a $70,000 ceiling but is currently fully subscribed and between rounds — confirm its status before counting on it.

Sources

Model a Tesla V4 Supercharger site in Michigan — payback, NPV, IRR, and a 15-year cash flow from your own inputs.

Run a Michigan scenario

Other states: California, North Carolina, Georgia, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Florida, Arizona, Texas, Virginia, Illinois, Tennessee. Coverage spans twelve states in total — see the full list.

ForgeAsset is software, not investment, tax, or legal advice — outputs are model estimates from your inputs, not guarantees. Rates and programs current as of research; verify current terms with each source before committing capital.