In September the Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (SMMPA) board approved installing charging stations for electric vehicles (EV) in every member community.
Within the next 12 to 18 months, the city of Grand Marais and all other SMMPA member communities will receive a DC fast (level 3) charger and two dual-port level 2 chargers.
SMMPA will purchase the chargers from ZEF Energy, the company selected by Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to install charging stations as part of the Volkswagen settlement.
Member utilities will lead the local process of selecting sites for charging stations, balancing the needs of visibility and parking near retailers.
“It’s a great first step to facilitate acceptance of electric vehicles, an amazing technology that will help reduce carbon emissions and deliver power to customers more economically,” said Chris Schoenerr, SMMPA’s director of Agency and Government Relations and chief external affairs officer. “Our members find it exciting that we are participating in transforming the transportation business.”
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