Unless you have been hiding under a rock, you are aware of the push towards promoting Electric Vehicles and consequently EV Charging stations. To this end, Xcel Energy has a new Public Charging EV Service Pilot program that supports businesses, communities and municipalities that are looking to set up an EV charging station with massive rebates to kickstart the process.
First off you may be asking, why is a lighting company getting involved in EV charging stations? That is in part due to our relationship with Xcel Energy as one of the leading rebate processors in the entire state of Minnesota for nearly a decade. Part of our turnkey lighting retrofit business model is to handle rebates on behalf of our customers to ensure they are maximizing their return on their investment. Thus with the rebate offerings centered around EV charging opportunities, we have been approached by Xcel and others to help facilitate EV growth both as a means that is good for the environment and for business.
Why set up an EV charging station at your location? With more and more Electric Vehicles on the road, having a charging station at your business could be the difference in attracting certain customers especially as time goes on as the EV proliferation continues.
Benefits of Participating in the Xcel Program:
- Design of charging infrastructure
- Infrastructure construction; includes transformer, panel, meter, conduit and wiring at no cost to the end user
- Infrastructure maintenance, post-installation
- Technical assistance throughout the entire process
Is your location eligible to apply?
The next question becomes, how do you know if you are eligible for the program? If you can answer yes to the qualifications below, you are eligible to apply:
- Your site will include at least one DC fast charger and receives non-residential electric service from Xcel Energy in Minnesota.
- Your site is within a high-use location, ie. within two miles of a highway or interstate exit, and within a quarter mile of retail or service establishments.
- You either own or lease the property on the site. Tenants must receive written consent from property owner.
- Your new charging stations are separately metered from building electric service and will be accessible seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
Once you have applied and accepted in the pilot program, you automatically gain access to Xcel’s Public Charging EV Service electric pricing, which provides special on-peak pricing.
Xcel Energy’s program is Minnesota based, but as we selling lighting all over the country we deal with energy companies all over that have similar rebates. Keep in mind this generous Xcel pilot program runs through 2022 and may change, so take the offer to look into to determine feasibility for your organization today. Want to get started or learn more? Contact Premier Lighting today for more details!
So how is the ultimate consumer — the driver/owner of the electric vehicle — charged (pun intended) for the electricity “fill up” ? Or does this program assume the sponsor is either footing the bill or has its own mechanism for billing the user?
Can this be a “vending machine” type of service that requires the customer to either have a prepaid or billable account or else a credit card reader which the general public could utilize ? I’m thinking that a ecologically progressive non-profit entity, such as a church, could have such a facility as long as it meets the criteria specified for consideration.