You might have missed it, but Rochester is now home to a new DC fast charger for electric vehicles (since August, actually).
ZEF Energy, who installed and manages the chargers, was awarded grant funding from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to install fast charging stations around Minnesota to support electric vehicle travel.
Rochester has had a Tesla Supercharger for some time, but lacked a fast charging option for other EVs until now. This is great news for EV owners traveling to Rochester or through Rochester.
Since starting Rochester Electric Vehicles in 2019, I have been contacted by visiting EV owners going to the Mayo Clinic, visiting family, etc. and wondering what charging options were available outside of the various Level 2 chargers. While these options are practical if you plan to be in one area for multiple hours, they become less helpful for shorts stops.
Charger Location & What’s Nearby
I talked with Jim Goodman, VP of Customer Development at ZEF Energy and he said some of the goals for placement included being within a quarter mile of retail opportunities, located a couple miles off the defined corridor, and having an accommodating local partner willing to provide parking spaces for dedicated EV charging. Jim said they had a great partnership working with RPU to find interested groups and the placement couldn’t have worked out better for checking those boxes.
The charger is located just off of Highway 52 and 2nd St. SW in the parking lot of Fresh Thyme Market at 40 17th Ave SW, Rochester, MN 55902. You’ll see designated EV only parking spots in the SW corner of the parking lot.
Within walking distance you can get groceries, coffee, fast food, and frozen yogurt...what else could you ask for?
Chargers Available
The charging hub allows for up to 3 electric vehicles to charge at the same time.
The station includes:
1 (one) DC fast charger (50kW and 200 miles of battery range per hour)
2 (two) Level 2 chargers (11.5 kW and 25 miles of battery range for per hour)
The charger connectors or plug types of the fast charger include CCS and CHAdeMO.
Payment Options
You can pay by credit card or phone payment app.
According to Plugshare, The DC Fast Charger rate is $0.30 a minute. An initial $30 hold is placed on the card, then once the charging session completes, the hold is released.
Charging at either of the Level 2 chargers is free.
Free Fast Charging through January 2020
Jim also mentioned that ZEF Energy is providing free charging through January 2021.
Final Thoughts
According to Plugshare, there’s been over 40 check-ins so far and I’m sure as word spreads that the charger is available, it will get plenty of usage.
As an EV owner in Rochester, although most of my charging is done at home, I consider this an important asset and symbol to the community.
It provides peace of mind to EV owners coming to or through Rochester with a way that they can get charged up in a timely manner to get where they need to go.
But even more, between this new DC Fast Charger, the Tesla Supercharger, the increasing number of public Level 2 chargers, and the growing EV community (now approaching 500 electric vehicles), these are all signs that the future of transportation can be electric.
Check out all Rochester chargers on this page.