These excerpts are from a full article originally published in the StarTribune by reporter Mike Hughlett.
EXCERPT
Minneapolis-based Xcel, the state’s biggest electricity provider, said its projections put 1.5 million electric vehicles on the road in its service areas by 2030 — making up about 20% of all automobiles and light trucks.
The company didn’t have a breakdown by the eight states it serves. But a regulatory filing in June indicates that by 2030, Xcel forecasts 376,000 EVs in Minnesota in a “high-growth” scenario.
“If we can get 1.5 million EVs on the road in our service territories, customers will save $1 billion a year and we will significantly reduce carbon emission,” said Xcel CEO Ben Fowke in an interview.
EXCERPT
“Right now, it’s not a seamless process for a customer buying an EV,” Fowke said.
While automakers are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into EV research and development, traditional dealerships don’t seem to be in a rush to peddle electric vehicles.
A report last November from the Sierra Club, an environmental group, concluded that 74% of U.S. auto dealerships weren’t selling EVs, and most of those who did were not prominently displaying them.
