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Minnesota Electric Vehicle charging

Minnesota electric vehicles

As electric vehicle (EV) [1] sales grow, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (Commission) expects to support transportation electrification through affordable, economic electric utility service for plug-in EVs. 

The Commission made a series of findings in its Investigation into Electric Vehicle Charging and Infrastructure (Docket No. E999/CI-17-879) and found electrification of Minnesota’s transportation sector is in the public interest. Specifically, the Commission found that transportation electrification can:

  • Promote affordable, economic electric utility service by improving utility system utilization/efficiency and placing downward pressure on utility rates through increased utility revenues and better grid utilization.

  • Grow renewable energy use by increasing electricity demand during hours when renewable energy is most prevalent on the system and developing tariffs that correlate renewable energy resources to EV charging.

  • Reduce statewide greenhouse gas and other harmful emissions.

The Commission has approved several pilots and other programs to advance efficient transportation electrification. These programs include utility owned direct current fast chargers, off-peak charging rate programs, residential charger financing, multi-family dwelling unit pilots to bring charging access to those who do not own their own residence, commercial and business charging rates for large fleets with unique charging needs. 

Submitting a comment

Link to our comment page

If community members are looking to engage in the Commission’s work on these topics, you may submit a comment or directly in an individual docket via eDockets.  The transportation electrification planning process where a utility describes their forward-looking electric vehicle plans for the Commission has recently been integrated into the Integrated Distribution Planning documents. The transportation electrification plans were opened to gain a better understanding of the impacts of electric vehicles on the grid system, on utilities, and on customers, as well as how utility regulatory policy can improve upon the transportation charging systems and rates. 

Electric Vehicles in Minnesota

As of January 2024, 53,356 electric vehicles were registered in the state of Minnesota.

The PUC provides a breakdown of electric vehicle registrations by electric utility service territory, along with more granular data by city, zip code, and vehicle make/model. These data are obtained from the Minnesota Department of Vehicle Services. 

Data set Date of data pull Data publish date
2018 EV Registration Data April 2019 December 12, 2024
2019 EV Registration Data February 2020 December 12, 2024
2020 EV Registration Data February 2021 December 12, 2024
2021 EV Registration Data December 2021 December 12, 2024
2022 EV Registration Data January 2023 December 12, 2024
2023 EV Registration Data January 2024 December 12, 2024

Relevant EV dockets

Docket number Description Utility
12-874 Residential Electric Vehicle Service Dakota Electric Association
15-111 Residential Electric Vehicle Charging Tariff Xcel Energy
15-112 Off-Peak Electric Vehicle Rider Otter Tail Power
15-120 Residential Electric Vehicle Service Minnesota Power
17-817 Residential EV Service Pilot Xcel Energy
17-879 Inquiry into Electric Vehicle Charging and Infrastructure All investor-owned utilities
18-643 EV Infrastructure Pilots Xcel Energy
19-186 Residential EV Subscription Pilot Xcel Energy
19-337 EV Commercial Charging Pilot Minnesota Power
19-559 Home EV Service Offering Xcel Energy
20-181 EV Portfolio Otter Tail Power
20-638 Residential EV Portfolio Minnesota Power
20-711 Multi-Dwelling Unit EV Service Pilot Xcel Energy
20-745 COVID Recovery EV Portfolio Xcel Energy
21-101 Load Flexibility Portfolio Xcel Energy
21-127 Non-Residential and Multi-Family EV Rate Pilots Dakota Electric Association
21-257 Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Minnesota Power
22-592 Virtual Metered EV Rate Pilot Dakota Electric Association
23-258 Residential EV Service Pilot Minnesota Power
23-380 Residential Electric Vehicle Service Otter Tail Power
23-452 Residential EV Service Pilot Xcel Energy
Updated December 2024

Relevant EV Statutes:

The Legislature has taken steps to facilitate the adoption of EVs in Minnesota.

Minn. Stat. 216B.02, Subd. 4 exempts entities that sell electricity for EV charging from regulation as a public utility, which allows non-utilities to develop and operate charging infrastructure.

Minn. Stat 216B.1614 requires each public utility to have a rate specifically designed for EV charging that offers time-of-day or off-peak rates to customers who own EVs.

Minn. Stat 216B.1615 requires public utilities to file Transportation Electrification Plans with the Commission



[1] Minn. Stat. § 169.011, subd. 26a, defines “electric vehicle” as “a motor vehicle that is able to be powered by an electric motor drawing current from rechargeable storage batteries, fuel cells, or other portable sources of electrical current, and meets or exceeds applicable regulations in Code of Federal Regulations, title 49, part 571, and successor requirements.” The definition includes a neighborhood electric vehicle, a medium-speed electric vehicle, and a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.

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