I first met Steven Litz when Michigan was in the middle of the Great Recession. At that time, he was talking to one of the Big Three to get funding for a TV show that featured electric vehicle races and electric vehicle performance on the track.
If you are a racing fan and love muscle cars, you’ve likely seen a video on YouTube where a Tesla faces off against a hemi-charged hellcat. Steven’s show was going to be like that – and it would’ve blown your eight cylinder mind on power and instant torque. But as mentioned, this all happened about 10 years ago and money for production wasn’t available due to the economic downturn. So the show was cancelled before it even got off the ground.
It’s unfortunate, because in my opinion, this TV show would’ve been one of the most exciting and cool things to happen within the electric car market back then. Something to really give the sector a boost. I mean yes, the vehicles had clean emissions, they ran quiet and of course, there’s the gas savings; but that might not have been that appealing to folks here in the Midwest. In my experience, we still love watching diesel truck pulls at the Armada Fair that block out the sun with an ungodly amount of black smoke and blow out your ear drums with several decibels of awesomeness. So if manufacturers could’ve shown how an electric vehicle can pull away from a gas guzzling muscle car while burning their tires, you would’ve gotten some much-needed attention for the electric vehicle industry.
But alas, that was years ago, and now we all know that electric vehicles are on the rise. Sales are increasing and there’s no stopping the trend. Soon we’ll see them all over the road and there will be plenty of charging stations on the street and in parking lots.
Which brings me back to Steven Litz. His TV days might have ended before they started, but he’s still in the electric vehicle industry. Some years ago he received training on the vehicles at a local college. He also worked for a company focused in that arena, which ultimately led him to create Powerlink Systems, a provider of charging solutions. The company, which is headquartered in southeast Michigan, focuses on the deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in order to increase electric vehicle adoption.
Steve has since joined up with ChargePoint, a very well-known manufacturer of charging stations, to handle station sales and installation with qualified ChargePoint installers. This partnership could not have come at a better time, as DTE Energy recently announced a build out of its electric infrastructure and rebate incentives for customers willing to deploy public and residential charging stations. Powerlink Systems and ChargePoint are uniquely positioned to assist local businesses in determining eligibility, selecting qualified charging stations, planning installation and applying for these rebates. I highly recommend checking them out.
To learn more, visit www.powerlinksystems.com or call 586.337.7607.
Jack Johns is a project manager within the economic development services group. He works with businesses across all industries in Macomb County with the goal of helping them grow.
**Powerlink Systems is a client of the Macomb County Department of Planning and Economic Development. Working with MCPED, they have access to services like assistance with marketing, financial analysis and planning, strategic planning, management and operations. To learn how our services can help your business grow, visit http://www.MacombBusiness.com or call 586-469-5285.