Josh Myers steps out of a Tesla Model X at an event to encourage electric vehicle adoption and infrastructure in 2019 on the Minnesota State University campus.
Electric vehicles make up a small part of the auto market.
General Motors, one of the largest auto manufacturers in the country, announced in January its plan to sell only electric light duty vehicles by 2035.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is in the process of adopting a rule that would require auto manufacturers to deliver more vehicles with zero tailpipe emissions, like EVs, for sale in the state, increasing each year.
Ellis said there is already interest in the vehicle, with five to 10 customers having submitted orders or are in the process of doing so.
There are 80 electric vehicles and 71 hybrid vehicles registered in Blue Earth and Nicollet County, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, which tracks electric vehicle ownership in the state.
Local EV owners say the growing number of charging stations has made it easier to have an electric vehicle, especially the increase in Level 3 chargers that can typically charge a vehicle in less than an hour.
Lee Tesdell, a professor at Minnesota State University, drives a Chevrolet Bolt EV and commutes to work from Iowa.
Geoff Roise of Lindsay Windows can usually drive to the Twin Cities and back in his Tesla without having to charge his vehicle.
As infrastructure develops, Sullivan hopes to see more visibility around these chargers.
To him, driving an EV can sometimes feel like being out in the middle of the ocean because there aren’t always charging stations nearby and not much visibility of where the stations are.
Virginia Louise Amsden, age 90 of Saint Peter, passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 17, 2021 with her son at her side.