Detroit Edison Offers New Electric Car Buyers Special Rate

Detroit Edison is offering first buyers a lower price on electricity. For those who buy an electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid vehicle, Edison is offering to the first 2,500 residential customers either a lower rate for charging during off-peak hours (11 pm - 9 am) or a monthly flat rate of $40 per vehicle.

They are also willing to pay up to $2,500 for a residential charging station, although they expect a typical 220-volt station to retail at $600.

"We view -- as do a lot of people -- electric vehicles as something of the future," said Edward Falletich, manager for pricing at Detroit Edison. "What this does is let us be privy to how much power is used to charge a vehicle."

By offering the special rate, they encourage new buyers, plus they get to guage how electric vehicles will affect the grid. They also get to see when owners will plug in, plus how much they use.

The $40 a month equates to 13 cents per kilowatt hour. 84% of respondents to an Electric Power Research Institute expect to charge their electric vehicles at night.