Ahead of the game

Lee Reinsch

Contributor

December 14, 2022

ALGOMA – The electric vehicle (EV) industry is rapidly changing.

As more and more businesses and communities look to achieve their respective sustainability initiatives, EVs are often part of those conversations.

And a necessary part of that discussion is EV charging stations – which continue to pop up throughout the country, including right here in Northeast Wisconsin.

Being aware of that reality, Kristine Ruehl, the owner of Hotel Stebbins in downtown Algoma, said when the opportunity to install charging stations presented itself to her, she jumped at it.

Doing what she can to offer her guests the latest in amenities, Ruehl said she sees electric vehicle charging stations as one of them.

Grant-funded opportunity 
Ruehl said it all started with an email she received from Algoma Utilities and WPPI Energy, offering her the chance to apply for a grant to install charging stations.

“It’s a great opportunity,” she said. “That is going to be a huge part of what not only my business, but America, is going to be about…,” she said. “So, I might as well jump on it and start making my small inn more valuable to people who are conscious about electric vehicles or who already own them and aren’t able to travel to our area because (there isn’t anywhere) here to charge.” 

Ruehl drives a hybrid herself and said she loves it, so she can relate to those whose travel options may be limited to where they know charging stations are available.

She said she can’t drive up to Michigan’s Upper Michigan (U.P.) using her battery function alone – she has to switch over to gas once the battery runs down.

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Hotel Stebbins Owner Kristine Ruehl, left, is pictured with Markie Bscherer, Algoma Utilities energy services manager. Submitted Photo

So for now, she said she is content with her hybrid, but when the industry can support it, she’d be happy to move to an all-electric vehicle.

“This is the direction America is going,” Ruehl said. “From the forecasts I’m reading, in the next few years, the number of EVs on the road is going to triple.”

Sometimes paying attention pays off
Ruehl said the opportunity to receive grant funds to install two chargers at the hotel was about paying attention – to the industry and the community.

She said Algoma Utilities, in conjunction with its energy provider, WPPI Energy, offered business grants covering the purchase and installation of up to two EV charging stations. 

“Anyone who was paying attention could apply,” she said. “And from what I could see, I was one of the only ones paying attention.”

Markie Bscherer, energy services manager for WPPI Energy, confirmed that Hotel Stebbins was the only business to apply for the Algoma Utilities grant.

“I would say the interest (in electric vehicles) in Algoma is at the beginning stages,” she said. “People are trying to educate themselves at this point.”

Ruehl said applying for the grant was simple.

She said businesses merely had to buy and install (or in Hotel Stebbins’s case, get estimates for) the chargers, provide receipts and be an Algoma Utilities customer in good standing.

“We got some vendors in place to give us some quotes and filled out a simple application – there was very little effort on my part,” she said.

Bscherer said WPPI provides energy to 51 communities around the state, as well as Iowa and the U.P. 

She said she didn’t think any of the utilities offered business grants for charging stations, like in Algoma.

However, a number of other power companies around Wisconsin, including We Energies and Xcel Energy, offered incentives for EV chargers. 

In 2021, Wisconsin Public Service in Green Bay launched a pilot program offering EV owners a lower rate for charging their cars during certain pre-set hours.
 
The plan
Ruehl said the plan is to install the EV charging stations behind the Hotel Stebbins, which is located at 201 Steele St.
Since the ground is frozen now, that won’t be until the first week of May, she said.

Ruehl said before she received the grant, she didn’t think many people in Algoma had EVs or hybrid cars, besides a handful of Teslas and Honda hybrids she’s seen around town.

However, she said since the grant, she’s gotten many congratulatory messages on Facebook from local people saying they couldn’t wait to have dinner and charge their vehicles at Hotel Stebbins.

“It’s really interesting,” she said. “I was surprised.”

Ruehl said the charging stations she is looking to purchase are ones that have a companion app that will communicate where it is and whether it’s being used.

Once someone begins using it, she said, it would let others seeking charging stations know that one of the two at Hotel Stebbins is busy.

It would also manage payment. 

Kristine Ruehl said she sees offering EV charging stations as another amenity for hotel guests. Submitted Photo

Ruehl said at this point, she doesn’t plan on charging guests to use the stations – but said a few weeks after they are installed, she’ll get a better sense of how much offering the service is costing her, and may need to readdress that.

“It will still be more cost-effective than buying gas,” she said.

A complete charge, starting from a battery that is nearly drained, Ruehl said, takes about an hour and can drive about 250 miles when fully charged.

Putting Hotel Stebbins on the map
Ruehl said having charging stations at Hotel Stebbins means the historic 1857 inn will appear on online EV and hybrid charging point maps, making it visible to hybrid and EV drivers.

“It’s just a way to build a new source of customer base,” Ruehl said. “It’s a great exposure piece in marketing.” 

She said she views it as an added service – another thing she can offer her guests. 

“Everything about hospitality is amenities and experience…” she said. “The simple things: an amazing rest, a beautiful bed, a beautiful shower, the (simple) things we want in our home that make us feel comfortable and cared for. And in addition to that, you want to know that you can get from point A to point B.”?