DID

Recharge Albert Lea EV Expo and Test Drive event is coming at a time when talk and action about renewable energy usage — like the emphasis on renewable energy development work in the city of Albert Lea’s strategic plan, Design Ready Controls opening a facility in the area and the general national increase in interest — is also mounting. “The energy is just headed in that direction, for lack of a better punny word, and we’re just trying to move in the direction… hopefully before some other area so that Albert Lea… can differentiate itself from the other areas in this region so we can move forward successfully,” Johnson said.

Schmidtke called the timing “serendipitous.” He said he knows the people who spearheaded the Recharge America effort, and he loves its mission. And for Albert Lea specifically, the event will not only provide education and driving opportunities about EVs, but will also showcase the “clear job creation” directly related to EVs. Schmidtke said Design Ready Controls is hoping to hire around 70 people, more than doubling its

— staff by the end of 2023, and to quadruple it within the next few years.

“I think the big mission around Recharge first and foremost is to educate and to demystify it — and get people in cars. … And then you just put on top of it the job creation and what it could mean for Albert Lea with it being a

Number of charging stations in Albert Lea to be viewed within the state as a place where there’s momentum behind the renewable energy economy, and that it can grow into an EV mecca in the region. The message he wants to send is that “we’re open to this sort of development in our area,” Johnson said. transportation hub, I think people are starting to connect the dots, and I have to believe that’s gonna lead to more adoption, but we’re still early in the process,” Schmidtke said of the upcoming event and its potential takeaways for the community.

According to Johnson, ALEDA wants Albert Lea

Furthermore, Schmidtke said, he’s interested in seeing that more rural areas aren’t left behind in the push toward EVs and alternative fuels in the same way these areas have struggled with internet accessibility.

The Recharge Albert Lea EV Expo and Test Drive event is May 6.

Connect with your