MPCA: Dozens of new electric vehicle charging stations coming to Greater Minnesota
Electric car charging station sign seen in Lindholmen Science Park in Gothenburg. (Photo by Karol Serewis/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency says it will fund 38 new electric vehicle charging stations along four corridors in the state.
The 38 new stations will expand the electric vehicle charging network by more than 2,500 miles in greater Minnesota, the MPCA says.
Between 2018 and 2019, the number of electric vehicle registrations nearly doubled, according to state data. In the last two years, the MPCA has funded 25 electric vehicle charging stations.
The chargers will be placed 30 to 70 miles apart along the following corridors:
- Duluth to Grand Portage State Park on Hwy. 61.
- Ely to Thief River Falls on Hwy. 1.
- Granite Falls to Karlstad on U.S. Hwy. 59.
- St. Cloud to Marshall, Pipestone and beyond on Hwy. 23.
MPCA Commissioner Laura Bishop said the agency set goals to power 20 percent of light-duty cars with electricity by 2030 in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the state by 80 percent by 2050.
“Funding infrastructure projects like this will help us reach our goals while supporting Minnesota’s green economy and our growing EV market,” Bishop said in a release.
The funding was made possible by $2.6 million in grant money leveraged from the national Volkswagen settlement. The MPCA says the public advocated for more electric vehicle infrastructure when polled how to use the money.
The MPCA says the new fast-charging stations can recharge 100 miles-worth of battery in as little as 20 minutes.