Post Author's Photographer By Paul Cutting February 29, 2024

Publicly available electric vehicle charging has greatly improved in Winneshiek County and northeast Iowa. Within Decorah city limits, there are now sixteen level 2 chargers available for public use and two direct current fast chargers at Decorah Chevrolet. County- and region-wide, the situation has improved, too, with public chargers available in Calmar, Cresco, West Union, Lansing, and others.Level 2 chargers can recharge an EV in 3-8 hours depending on vehicle and charger speed, and are best suited for situations where people park their cars for extended periods of time, like workplaces, downtown areas, hotels, and locations catering to travelers. Level 3 fast chargers can fill an EV in as short as 20-30 minutes and are best positioned to support regional pass-through travel.

The transition to electric vehicles locally and regionally is still in its infancy, and it’s perhaps important to acknowledge the realities, and resulting benefits, of publicly available EV charging for this phase of the transition. First and foremost, a vast majority of those who have already made the transition to EVs or are currently contemplating doing so, have access to low-cost electricity in their garages and aren’t necessarily going to need public or workplace charging. In addition, EV ranges have grown by leaps and bounds over just the past few years. In 2023, the median range of available EV models was 270 miles, roughly on par or slightly below the gas-equivalent automobiles.

As a result, the need for workplace and publicly available charging for those living locally is perhaps less acute than it was several years ago when EVs were in their technological infancy. At the same time, when low-cost EV options become more widely available, the need for publicly available charging options for renters, condo owners, and generally those without access to home charging will grow.

Taken together, we believe Decorah and Winneshiek County are well-positioned to support the current phase of EV adoption. Below is a list of chargers available for public use in Winneshiek County along with the cost per kilowatt-hour (kWh). For reference, most EVs achieve 2.5 – 4 miles of range per kWh of charge, and an EV with a range of 270 miles has a 60-80 kW battery.

 

Location
Charge speed per hour
Cost per kWh
Decorah Chevrolet, 2 chargers
180 kW
$0.49
Weis GMC Decorah, level 3
coming soon
coming soon
State Street across from Fareway, 2 chargers
10.4 kW
$0.31
Downtown Decorah at Decorah Area Chamber of Commerce
21.6 kW
$0.31
Downtown Decorah behind Oneota Coop, 4 chargers
7.2 kW
$0.31
Winneshiek Medical Center, 2 chargers
6.6 kW
$.30
Sunflower Child Development Center
coming soon
coming soon
Preus Library, Luther College, 2 chargers
6.6 kW
$0.23
Luther College Regents Center, 2 chargers
5 kW
$0.23
Downtown Calmar
17 kW
$0.29
NICC Calmar Campus
7 kW
$0.29

 


Winneshiek Energy District Energy Planner Paul joins Winneshiek Energy District with a background in teaching and carpentry. For the last seven years Paul was a high school industrial tech teacher in Lanesboro, MN. There he taught carpentry, cabinetmaking, electricity, engineering design, graphic design, CAD, entrepreneurship, and more generally, enjoyed helping youngsters grow into capable and confident young adults. Prior to teaching, Paul spent several years as a carpenter disassembling and reconstructing 19th century Norwegian-built log buildings for clients. He also worked several seasons for HistoriCorps, a non-profit that pairs volunteers with hands-on historic preservation projects throughout the mountain west. In his free time Paul enjoys making furniture, trail running with his dog Bobo, scheming backpacking trips out west, camping in his homemade teardrop camper, and rehabbing his 170 year old brick house.

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