While still a small share of the market, electric vehicle (EV)[1] sales are steadily increasing and have the potential for rapid growth. EVs could benefit Minnesota in numerous ways, but could also adversely impact the electric system if their integration is not planned. In order to facilitate EV integration in a manner consistent with the interests of the public and of ratepayers, in December of 2017 the Commission opened an Inquiry into Electric Vehicle Charging and Infrastructure (Docket No. E999/CI-17-879).
Many state and federal agencies are working on aspects of EVs. The Commission, as the agency regulating electric utilities, is involved in reviewing and approving rates for EV pilots and charging infrastructure requests from utilities.
After a public workshop, input from utilities, EV charging providers, governmental bodies, and other interested stakeholders the Commission made a number of findings about EVs in its February 1, 2019 Order.
Specifically, the Commission found:
As of February, 2020 nearly 13,000 electric vehicles were registered in the State of Minnesota. The Minnesota Department of Transportation maintains an electric vehicle dashboard with additional data on electric vehicles in Minnesota.
Breaking down the number of electric vehicles registered in each utility’s service territory, Xcel Energy has the largest number of EVs, followed by Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area cooperatives Connexus Energy and Dakota Electric Association.A breakdown of electric vehicle registrations by electric utility service territory, along with a more granular data by city, zip code, and vehicle make/model can be found here. (Data pulled February, 2020)
For questions on EV data, please contact Commission staff:
Hanna Terwilliger
hanna.terwilliger@state.mn.us
651-201-2243
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.
Below is a list of dockets where utilities have asked for Commission approval of EV programs. EVs are referenced in other utility proceedings, including Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) and Integrated Distribution System Planning (IDP) among others.
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 |
20-86 (pending) |
Commercial and Industrial EV Rate Pilot
|
Xcel Energy |
20-181 |
EV Portfolio
|
Otter Tail Power |
All utility requests are filed electronically with the Commission in its eDockets system. Select Search eDockets, enter the year and the docket number, and select Search. The table above lists EV specific dockets. For example, to look up the Commission’s Inquiry into EV Charging and Infrastructure one would enter 17 under year and 879 under docket number.
[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.