Verendrye Electric energizes one of North Dakota’s first fast car charging stations

Posted: Aug 05 2020

Enerbase and Verendrye Electric Cooperative have partnered to bring one of the first level 3 electric car charging stations to North Dakota that went online July 8.

The charger is located in north Minot at the Enerbase Travel Plaza at 4750 North Broadway.
“We’re excited to team up with Verendrye Electric to bring fast car charging to Minot,” said Tony Bernhardt, general manager of Enerbase. “With their expertise in electricity and our facility, this is the perfect opportunity for cooperation among cooperatives.”

As of early July, there were only a few level 3 chargers in the state, all owned by Tesla. There are plans for about a dozen level 3 chargers to be installed this year in North Dakota. Many of those are being installed by other electric cooperatives in multiple cities.

The charger is made by Chargepoint and has an output of 62,000 watts which can charge a car to 80% in as little as 30 minutes depending on the type of car. To put that amount of power in perspective, the peak power usage of the entire Enerbase Travel Plaza is around 100,000 watts.

“This will be a game changer for people with electric vehicles who need to fill up in Minot,” said Randy Hauck, general manager of Verendrye Electric. “Verendrye is proud to partner with another cooperative to bring this technology to Minot.”

A level 2 charger uses a 240-volt power source and can add 20-25 miles per hour of charge. A level 1 charger uses a cord that plugs into a standard household outlet and only adds 3 miles per hour of charge.

Customers will be able to download an app from Chargepoint will allow them to pay via credit card. The charger will initially be available at no charge. Details of how much it will cost customers to use charger later on have not yet been determined.

Enerbase and Verendrye received approval for a grant from the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality to pay for 80 percent of the cost of the project. The estimated cost is $72,000.
The state received $8.1 million from the federal government as part of a settlement with Volkswagon. That company had violated the Federal Clean Air Act when they installed devices on vehicles that helped them falsely pass certain emissions testing. The total settlement was $14.7 billion and each state received funds.

Verendrye has added a Chevy Bolt, an electric car, to its fleet. The car is being used for Verendrye’s day-to-day business, and will also be a learning tool that will be showcased at events and schools. The car has a range of about 260 miles.

Pictured from left to right: Tony Bernhardt (Enerbase) and Randy Hauck (Verendrye Electric Cooperative).

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Verendrye Electric energizes one of North Dakota’s first fast car charging stations

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