Electric vehicle infrastructure
Minnesota Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Needs Assessment (EVINA)
Executive summary
We initiated the Minnesota Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Needs Assessment (EVINA) to guide comprehensive electric vehicle (EV) charging efforts across the state. EV adoption plays an important role in making progress toward statewide greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets and building a statewide EV charging network. EVINA calculated projected statewide charging needs based on an expected increase in EV adoption and the need to add a variety of DC fast charging (DCFC), Level 2 charging stations.
EV adoption and charging needs forecast
An analysis of 2024 EV sales and registrations, as well as future projected sales, revealed Minnesota can expect 717,000 registered EVs on the road by 2030, assuming 60% of all new vehicle sales are EVs. To accommodate this number, Minnesota would need:
- 40,000 Level 2 shared private ports (e.g., at multi-family and workplace; charging powered with alternative current [AC] electricity takes 4 to 10 hours to recharge from 20% to 80% battery)
- 48,000 public Level 2 ports (e.g., at retail, libraries, community centers and other recreation areas) (e.g., charging stations powered with alternative current [AC] electricity; charging takes 4 to 10 hours from 20- 80% battery)
- 4,000 public DCFC ports (e.g., at retail and fueling stations, charging powered with direct current [DC]; takes 20 minutes to 1 hour to recharge from 20% to 80% battery)
In this scenario, EVs represent roughly 10% of all vehicle registrations by 2030. This is notably lower than the state performance target of 20% of vehicles on the road to be EVs by 2030. However, the EViNA adoption forecast did not consider potential policy changes (e.g., a Clean Transportation Standard) that could accelerate EV adoption in the state.
EV charging station guidelines
To guide development of future charging stations, EV Charging Stations Guidelines were created for EViNA for three charging station types: Long-Distance Hubs, Destination Charging Hubs and Amenity Charging Hubs. The EV Charging Station Guidelines will support consistent service expectations and provide guidance on:
- Appropriate locations and land use types
- Power level per station type
- Number of charging ports per station type
- Amenities and services per station type
Using the anticipated number of charging stations needed by 2030 and the EV Charging Station Guidelines, a comprehensive analysis was completed to assess statewide infrastructure needs for both long-distance and community charging.
Long-distance infrastructure needs
To evaluate the need for long-distance charging, existing charging stations across the state were reviewed and supported the development of the coverage map, shown in ES Figure 1. it highlights all areas of Minnesota where EV charging is needed to complete the long-distance charging network according to EV Charging Station Guidelines. Locations along Minnesota interstates and principal arterials identified for long-distance charging stations are referred to as “clusters” in the analysis.
As the next step in the analysis, two scenarios were identified as priorities to consider in EViNA. in these two priority scenarios, End Range Anxiety and Accelerate Adoption, the areas of greatest need according to individual scenario objectives were identified. End Range Anxiety prioritizes rural locations where existing infrastructure is lacking. Accelerate Adoption prioritizes locations with high volumes of long-distance trips.
Under the End Range Anxiety scenario, corridors US-2, US-59 and US-71 were revealed as the highest priority corridors. These three corridors had the greatest number of top-ranking clusters. As shown in ES Figure 2, clusters located in northern and western Minnesota typically ranked highest in this scenario with low numbers (1, 2, 3) representing a higher rank.
Under the Accelerate Adoption scenario, corridors US-10, US-71, US-169 and US-210 were revealed as the highest priority corridors. These four corridors had the greatest number of top-ranking clusters as shown in ES Figure 3 with low numbers representing a higher rank.
Community charging infrastructure needs
Community charging needs for Minnesota’s metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas (as defined by the US Census Bureau) were projected using EVi-Pro Lite. EVi-Pro Lite uses the projected number of EVs in an area and historical trends in EV charging patterns to calculate how many charging ports will be needed across four categories: single-family, shared private, public Level 2 charging and public DC fast charging.
ES Table 1 details the projected community charging need for Minnesota’s metropolitan statistical areas (areas with at least one urban area of 50,000 or more inhabitants), while ES Table 2 details the projected community charging need for Minnesota’s micropolitan statistical areas (areas with at least one urban area of at least 10,000 but less than 50,000 population). The highest number of ports will be needed in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro area, followed by Duluth, Fargo (North Dakota) and Rochester. Most of Minnesota’s micropolitan statistical areas require less than 5,000 ports, with the exception of Brainerd and Faribault-Northfield.
Public engagement
Throughout the project, MnDOT engaged stakeholders to solicit feedback on diverse project components of EViNA, guided by a Partner and Public Engagement Plan. Engagement opportunities included:
- Monthly meetings with the MnDOT Project Management Team
- Two rounds of focus groups
- Round 1 - to solicit feedback on the Vision Statement and draft EV Charging Guidelines from state agencies, utilities and Tribal Nations
- Round 2 - to solicit feedback on the revised EV Charging Guidelines and siting prioritization approach from state agencies, utilities, EVSE vendors and Tribal Nations
- A community survey requesting input on benefits and barriers to driving an EV (June 4 - Aug. 16, 2024)
- Community engagement to solicit feedback on the proposed priority locations for DCFC and Level 2 stations from Minnesota residents
- An interview with HOURCAR, a non-profit carshare organization, to gain insight into the impact of EV infrastructure in their operations
- Online information and community input forum in February 2025 to solicit feedback on the proposed priority locations for DCFC and Level 2 stations from Minnesota residents
Engagement also included outreach with Community-Based Organizations (CBOs). The organizations that partnered with MnDOT to reach out to their communities included:
- Native Sun Community Power Development is a Native-led nonprofit dedicated to advancing energy efficiency, renewable energy and an equitable energy transition
- African immigrants Community Services (AiCS) is a nonprofit organization in Minneapolis that serves refugees and immigrants from the East African community
- Communities Organizing Latine Power and Action (COPAL) is a member-based organization established in 2018 to improve the quality of life of Latine families
Through their agreement with MnDOT, these organizations were able to develop specific outreach plans and feedback opportunities to engage community members in comfortable, familiar ways. The goal of this engagement was to gather input on EV charging infrastructure needs throughout Minnesota and perceived EV benefits and barriers from community members.
Implementation recommendations
Multiple partners need to coordinate to achieve full build-out of the statewide charging network by 2030. These partners are expected to include MnDOT, state agencies, utilities, Tribal Nations, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), regional development organizations (RDOs), local municipalities (e.g., cities, counties) and private partners.
In addition to the infrastructure recommendations, there are complementary policy, program, collaboration and outreach recommendations identified to advance both EV infrastructure development and EV adoption in Minnesota.
Policy/programs
- Offer rebates on EV and charger purchases
- Create income-based car swap programs to take back older vehicles
- Identify non-federal funding sources for EV charging
- Provide additional grant funding for EV carsharing, especially in low-income neighborhoods
- Implement a Clean Transportation Standard
Collaboration
- Offer advisory support to key partners
- Expand coordination with utilities to inform long-term planning
- Develop partnerships with trade schools and colleges to develop a clean transportation workforce
- Coordinate with neighboring states to promote a convenient and user-friendly charging experience between states
- Establish interagency working group to advance collaboration between state agencies
Outreach
- Provide educational resources to city planning staff, planning commissions and city councils on zoning and building code updates to support EVs
- Develop marketing campaign to improve consumer understanding of EVs
- Involve Black, indigenous, and People of Color (BiPOC) and low-income communities in EV plans and policies
EVINA structure
- Chapter 1 Introduction: Highlights the vision that guided development of the assessment process and recommendations, explains the different facets of EV charging needed to create a comprehensive network.
- Chapter 2 Existing Conditions: Key highlights from the existing conditions that set the framework for the assessment.
- Chapter 3 EV Charging Station Guidelines: Explains what should be considered when planning for and designing a charging station and the relationship of three types of charging stations to different corridors.
- Chapter 4 Charging Network: Outlines two primary types of charging needs to support EV adoption. Two subsections provide long-distance and community charging needs in Minnesota.
- Chapter 5 Engagement and Feedback: Key highlights from the stakeholder and public engagement process.
- Chapter 6 Recommendations: infrastructure and non-infrastructure recommendations developed as an outcome of this Assessment.