Press Release: Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative Installs Public Electric Vehicle Charging Station

For Immediate Release:       August 14, 2019                                                 

Press Contact: Tresa Hussong                                                                  

tresah@ilec.coop    800-225-4532

Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative Installs Public Electric Vehicle Charging Station

Estherville - Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative is doing its part to alleviate range anxiety in northwest Iowa by installing a charging station in the parking lot of their headquarters’ facility in Estherville, Iowa, adjacent to the 140-kW solar array the Cooperative energized in October 2016. 

The Cooperative’s first charging station is ideally located at the intersection of Iowa Highways 4 and 9, closing the distance between two Level 2 charging stations in northwest Iowa to only 72 miles.   It is also a charging opportunity for drivers heading south off Interstate 90 as it is located between two Tesla supercharging stations; one 42 miles to the west and the other 77 miles to the east.   

“Our goal is to promote EVs by providing a charger that is readily available to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week free of charge," said Rick Olesen, president/CEO.  “As a Touchstone Energy Electric Cooperative, our core values consist of integrity, accountability, innovation and commitment to community. These four values allow us to consistently deliver high standards of excellence to our member-owners and their communities.”

In fact, in a national survey by Touchstone Energy, about 12 percent of electric cooperative member-owners across the country said it's very or somewhat likely that their next car will either be an EV or plug-in hybrid.

The Level 2, 240-volt charging station includes two charging ports and provides about 10 to 20 miles of battery range for every hour the vehicle is plugged in.

"We don't expect people to fully charge their EVs in our parking lot, but they can get enough charge on their battery to power them to their next destination," said Tresa Hussong, vice president of customer and corporate relations. 

Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative also offers incentives for charging EVs at home, with an EV charger rebate up to $500 and a discounted off-peak electricity rate for charging during off-peak times, when demand and cost are lower.