Otter Tail Power Company electric vehicle infrastructure pilot gains Minnesota PUC go-ahead
An infrastructure pilot program that will bring 11 direct current (DC) fast chargers to rural Western Minnesota under the direction of the Otter Tail Power Company was approved by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) last week.
Set to begin this year, the pilot would roll out chargers in phases over three years total. Users would pay a connection fee and a per kw/hour fee for electricity, which Otter Tail will use to offset installation costs.
“This proposal is a cost-effective way to get more EV chargers across Minnesota,” Commissioner Matt Schuerger said. “Otter Tail Power deserves a lot of credit for being one of the first rural electric utilities in the country to create a proposal and one that garnered such widespread stakeholder support.”
Commissioner John Tuma added that there has been a gap in developing charging infrastructure and EV adoption in rural areas, so the Otter Tail effort represents a major forward step.
Otter Tail has not finalized the locations of where these 11 charging stations will go, though. Its goal is to locate potential sites within 30 miles of 97 percent of its customers and to have one and all within 60 miles. The program came about as a result of the Commission’s EV order on Feb. 1, 2019, which asked utilities to file proposals on charging infrastructure, education, and the management of charging or other EV incorporation methods.
