Xcel Energy Launches Program For Charging Electric Vehicles

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Xcel Energy customers will now have a new option for charging their electric vehicles at a flat monthly price.

The company has announced a new pilot program that will install "level 2 home charging systems" in the garages of its subscribers.

Subscribers then get unlimited charging overnight (9 p.m. to 9 a.m.), and on weekends, according to Xcel.

Customers have the choice to either rent or own the charging equipment. Prices range from $33 to $44 a month, depending on this choice.

A company's release sent out on Thursday touted the environmental benefits of the program, claiming that electronic vehicles charged on the system will have one-third of the emissions of a gas vehicle, at a cost of less than $1 per gallon of gas.

Xcel is enrolling up to 100 participants for the two-year pilot program. Customers can sign up at one of 11 dealerships in the Twin Cities. Click here for more information.