Old meets new: Detroit Assembly Plant now builds EV charging stations

EV charging station production underway at Detroit Assembly Plant

The historic manufacturing site is getting a new lease on life courtesy of green technology.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Fueled by tons of incentives by utility companies like DTE and Consumers Energy, one Detroit-based company is making a push for businesses everywhere to take advantage of an opportunity.

The backstory:

The company Dumanis makes electric vehicle charging stations and they are looking for commercial property owners who are looking for another source of revenue.  

The offer is purchase their EV chargers and let DTE cover the cost of installation. But the owner says if you want this deal, you have to act now.

Good old-fashioned Detroit Assembly used to build what some argue is the future. In fact, the only thing old about this company - is the origin of it’s name.

"Dunamis is the Greek word for power," said Natalie King, founder and CEO of Dunamis Charge. "I'm a person of faith and that's really the connotation for the word, Dunamis also means spirit power, a God power."

At this Detroit plant, a lawyer by trade is now in charge of making charging stations for electric vehicles.

"This is our single port, this is currently being used for commercial as well as residential," she said.

It is something Natalie King says was never really a choice. Roughly six years ago, she was given a set of instructions.

"I woke up and it was a voice as clear as I'm talking, and it said 'You are going to make some EV charging stations, and you are going to do it in the City of Detroit and start it now.' I said okay," she said. "It was so clear that I didn’t even question it, it was just the next evolution."

The company Dumanis has been operating for three years and now employs 30 people.

"We need over 66,000 EV charging stations deployed throughout the state of Michigan to meet the demand of EV drivers and Dunamis wants to play a role in that," she said.

A big reason for her enthusiasm, is the backing of people providing the power.

"DTE has a phenomenal incentive program right now from like $2,500 per port, all the way up to $70,000 per port for DC fast charging," she said. "And we are building them right here."

King says that’s money to fuel profit.

"If you are a property owner, particularly a business property owner, and you want additional revenue streams - it's like a gas station model," she said. "So if someone comes up and charges at your utility station, then you can charge an amount that covers the utilities amount for that charge and on top of that covers the amenity for the charge."

You can learn more about the incentives they offer by visiting the website.

"If you want to take advantage of free EV charging right now, go to Dunamischarge.com," she said. "Thirty seconds - just put your information in and we will get you started on that journey to qualify for free EV charging to provide to your customer base."

Not only is the company headquartered in Detroit but they also use a domestic supply chain that supports other Detroit businesses along with avoiding extra costs from any tariffs.