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Project Dates <br /> The original term of the project was for 16 months, beginning in November 2016 and <br /> concluding in March 2018. Elk River Municipal Utilities applied for a project extension in June of <br /> 2017 and received approval for a May 5, 2019 completion date. A request for extension was <br /> made when the original location for the DC Fast Charger had delayed availability because of a <br /> major road reconstruction project and site developer issues. A new location for the DC Fast <br /> Charger was selected and the unit was installed in November 2017. <br /> Alternatives <br /> Vendor for Public Charging Equipment <br /> Elk River Municipal Utilities evaluated several vendors for public charging equipment. ERMU <br /> selected ChargePoint because they not only provide the charging equipment and a separate <br /> customer service platform for billing and tracking, but they also have the largest network in the <br /> country, with more than 56,000 charging stations. In addition,for an extra fee Elk River <br /> Municipal Utilities was able to purchase a two-year service plan that covered parts and labor <br /> for any equipment or software upgrades needed. <br /> Charging Site Locations <br /> The site selection for the public charging stations was an important element of this project. It is <br /> typical for municipal utilities to locate public charging stations in locations that are easily <br /> accessed by residents and visitors to the community. Elk River Municipal Utilities had the goal <br /> to partner and build a relationship with a potential opponent to electric vehicle charging <br /> stations by selecting an existing convenience store/fuel station on a high traffic corridor as the <br /> location for a DC Fast charger. Receiving an extension on the grant was critical in allowing <br /> ERMU time to select an alternative site that met the desired criteria. <br /> Public Charging Stations at Businesses <br /> Early on ERMU contacted local retailers to explore partnerships with them to install public <br /> charging stations.This opportunity was attractive to some businesses, but none of them were <br /> interested in actually installing the charging stations. Moving forward, ERMU will again engage <br /> these customers to determine if there is now the desire to install the charging equipment after <br /> two additional years of growth in the EV marketplace. ERMU will explore incentivizing the <br /> installation instead of installing utility-owned stations. <br /> 7 <br /> 46 <br />