Drivers of electric vehicles now have 14 places to plug in at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
The new charging stations debuted this week at the airport's public parking ramps at Terminal 1 (Lindbergh) and Terminal 2 (Humphrey). The stations are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Regular parking fees apply, but there is no additional charge to use the five stations located on Level 8 of the Blue Ramp and the five on Level 8 of the Red Ramp at the main terminal. The other four stations are on Level 7 of the Orange Ramp at Terminal 2.
"We installed the chargers to encourage use of electric vehicles and to accommodate those travelers who own them," said Dennis Probst, executive vice president of the Metropolitan Airports Commission.
The MAC also installed them as part of its effort to become more eco-friendly, he said.
The move comes as the MAC is adding alternative fuel vehicles to its fleet. The commission, which owns and operates MSP, has four electric-powered vehicles and two hybrid vehicles as part of its 80 cars and trucks that run on alternative fuels. It also plans to buy a compressed natural gas-powered vehicle to its fleet this year.
