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agriculture & industry • community • faith & charities Education • down through the years • family & home business & health • life • neighbors • people A PUBLICATION OF THE ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE • FEBRUARY 2014
The electric car is coming And Riverland is prepared
By Tim Engstrom
tim.engstrom@albertleatribune.com
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tepping into the office of Riverland Community College professor Steve Vietor isn’t like stepping into the future, but getting into a conversation with him is. He can describe at length information about electricity, electric motors, wind turbines, solar panels and the car charger by the parking on the north side of the Riverland building in Albert Lea. His office looks like 1980, but check out what he said about the future: • As electric cars become more common, their drivers will seek out places with chargers that are near useful amenities, such as restaurants, parks and shopping centers, so they have something to do while their cars charge. Cities and malls that understand this will prosper as the electric car becomes more common. • Being at the intersection of two interstate highways, Albert Lea can attract electric car drivers. It is big enough to have activities and shopping choices and small enough to
be easy to navigate. “With these corridors, Albert Lea is really in a good position,” Vietor said. “Charge. Eat. Go.” And take note of what he said about the present day: • Electric cars have a display with maps that show the nearest charging station and the surrounding amenities. • In the past year, sales of electric and electric-hybrid automobiles increased eight-fold. They are coming. It’s just a matter of time. On Sept. 9, at the Albert Lea City Council, Mayor Vern Rasmussen took his turn giving reports. He mentioned that at a recent Albert Lea Port Authority meeting he learned that Tesla Motors, an electric car company based in Palo Alto, Calif., was researching a location for a charging station in Albert Lea. Tesla Motors, in late December and early January, installed four super chargers at the AmericInn on the north side of Albert Lea. Tesla has a dealership in Eden Prairie, but Albert LeaFreeborn County Chamber of Commerce Director Randy Kehr said the reason Tesla
wants to place chargers in Albert Lea is so owners of its cars can travel coast-tocoast, much like the CEO did when he was a young man. On his trip, he took Interstate 90. “One of the express purposes was to have a place where they could find food nearby,” he said. The AmericInn is within walking distance of McDonald’s, Applebee’s, Arby’s, a Dairy Queen, two convenience stores, a Hy-Vee grocery store and Northbridge Mall. “I think it’s exciting to have opportunities for green use in our community,” said Rasmussen. “It’s one more way to get our name out there to the public. Our city will be on the Tesla website.” As far as compatibility, some electric cars are capable of fast charging and some are not. Moreover, some have different connectors altogether, kind of like cellphone plugs. The Tesla chargers are compatible with certain 4Cars, Page 3
Photographs, clockwise from upper left: • Riverland Community College professor Steve Vietor prepares students for careers in renewable energy. • The engine of a Chevrolet Volt looks much different than a conventional engine. • A Chevy Volt owned by Riverland plugs into a charger at the north parking lot on campus. • Tesla Motors installed these super chargers at AmericInn in Albert Lea. • A snow-covered solar panel still gathers enough sunlight to generate electricity. • The plug for a Volt is under a cap near the front, not the rear.
Tim Engstrom