Detroit Today: EV charging station technician training kicks off in Detroit
Growing the infrastructure for electric vehicles will be a key factor in meeting the electrification goals touted by major automakers.
The United States will have to significantly grow its infrastructure for electric vehicles to keep up with the electrification goals touted by major automakers.
As major automakers continue their shift to electric vehicles, creating the needed infrastructure to support electrification is one of the biggest hurdles the industry faces.
Thankfully some folks here in Detroit are trying to change that. Michigan Central is working with the company, ChargerHelp, to train Detroit residents to become EV charging technicians for free.
Clarinda Barnett-Harrison, director of the skills initiative with Michigan Central, and Kameale Terry, CEO of ChargerHelp, joined Detroit Today this morning to talk about the program.
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Guests:
• Clarinda Barnett-Harrison is the director of the skills initiative with Michigan Central. Harrison says there is exponential opportunity in Detroit to both train and create the infrastructure for future electrification.
We are the global epicenter of mobility innovation,” said Harrison. “So making certain that we have a fully comprehensive strategy to ensure that we are at the forefront of electrification in this country is critical to our success.”
• Kameale Terry, CEO of ChargerHelp, a company that maintains and repairs electric vehicle charging stations. They are doing free training for EV charging technical work. Terry says that until 2020, there wasn’t a prepared technology workforce in place for the charging infrastructure, leading to software and communications issues nationwide. ChargerHelp is working to change that by offering free technician training to metro Detroiters residents.
“We’re super excited to be coming to Detroit,” Terry said. “Typically we look for folks that are coming from adjacent industries, one, or folks that are really interested in field service work and also technology and software work.”
Listen to Detroit Today with host Stephen Henderson weekdays from 9-10 a.m. ET on 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand.
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