Minneapolis and St. Paul are mentioned in a Midwest Energy News roundup of how area cities are dealing with electric vehicle charging stations.
The story mentions a regional planning effort called Drive Electric Minnesota, which includes city, county and state governments, as well as major employers like Best Buy, and the state’s largest utility, Xcel Energy.
It displays a new sign, developed by St. Paul, that alerts drivers to the location of charging stations:
“We wanted to have a seamless experience, so if someone was coming to downtown St. Paul to go to a Wild game at the Xcel Center, their experience is going to be similar to going to a Twins game or going to the metropolitan airport,” says Anne Hunt, environmental policy director for the city of St. Paul.
St. Paul came up with signs that other entities are being encouraged to use, too. They consist of the familiar “P” for parking, but with an electrical plug incorporated into the letter.
“We’re sharing information when we meet every couple of months,” said Fran Crotty of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. “That’s been really valuable as we move ahead.”
Two Cities blog, which covers Minneapolis and St. Paul City Halls, is made possible in part by grants from The Saint Paul Foundation and the Carolyn Foundation.
From 8 minutes to 8 hours for a fill
Electric cars didn’t make it in the early days of the auto. Let’s hope they have a chance this time. If they do, we might next try dumping diesel engine ships and revert to sails.