Minneapolis receives grant to add up to 25 electric car charging stations downtown

The City of Minneapolis and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) have been awarded a grant from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to install up to 25 electric car charging stations at four parking ramps Downtown: Ramp A, Ramp B, the Leamington Parking Ramp and the Jerry Haaf Memorial Ramp. The Haaf ramp already has three charging stations.

The grant is for up to $220,000, with a $55,000 match coming from the City’s Parking Services and MnDOT. It is estimated that about $80,000 of the grant and match will be spent at the two City ramps (Leamington and Haaf) and the rest will be spent at Ramp A and Ramp B, which are owned by MnDOT and operated by the City.

It’s a City goal to integrate clean energy sources. Public charging stations support people’s decisions to drive electric cars, which are a healthy and eco-focused choice in many ways:

• With more than a third of Minnesota’s air pollution coming from cars and trucks, electric vehicles can be part of solving some of our air pollution problems.
• Electric cars are quiet, reducing noise pollution.
• Powering cars with electricity reduces our nation’s dependence on foreign oil

Electric-powered vehicles also have immediate economic benefits to owners.

• They have fewer moving parts (requiring less maintenance) than gasoline cars.
• They also typically cost about 2 to 3 cents per mile for their electricity. Compare that to gasoline, which is now approaching $4 a gallon.