Owatonna utility narrows Level 2 EV charging policy, drops Tesla exemption and 60-day free charging

Key Account and Energy Conservation Officer Hendricks told the Owatonna Public Utilities Commission on July 23, 2024 that OPU is recommending three changes to its Level 2 electric vehicle charging policy: revise the tax wording for the $2.00-per-hour fee now that the payment app can add tax separately, remove the charge exemption for Tesla vehicles, and remove language providing 60 days of free charging as an incentive.

Hendricks said the $2.00-per-hour rate previously included tax because the app used for fee collection could not separately charge tax; the app has been updated and can now add tax on top of the posted hourly rate, reducing manual accounting work. He also said OPU-owned Tesla chargers—previously sited by Ace Hardware—were vandalized and are no longer in service, which prompted removing the Tesla exemption. Finally, Hendricks said the original 60-day free charging incentive was used to raise awareness of OPU chargers and that OPU does not currently plan to purchase additional chargers.

Commissioner Vetter moved to approve the policy changes as described; Commissioner Rossi seconded the motion. All commissioners voted Aye and the motion passed.

The changes affect OPU-owned Level 2 chargers at the movie theatre and downtown hotel parking lots and amend the written policy to reflect current collection capabilities and equipment status. The commission did not adopt any new capital purchases for additional chargers at this meeting.