Incredibly plugged in

Ever since Cameron Chisholm got his new set of wheels this summer, the people of Thief River Falls, Minnesota, won’t stop staring. Kids laugh and wave, their parents and grandparents gawk in befuddlement. Just the other day, his ride caught the eye of a small senior at the grocery store.

“She came up to my window and tapped on it. She’s like, ‘What is this? This is neat!’” Chisholm recounted. “It’s been overwhelmingly very positive.”

This new celebrity status came along with the delivery of Chisholm’s new Tesla Cybertruck Foundation Series, one of the latest – and most angular – electric vehicles (EV) on the road. The nearly 7,000-pound pickup boasts more than 300 miles of range on a single charge and 11,000 pounds of towing capacity, perfect for a tech-forward camper like Chisholm.

“This is a rolling technology showcase,” he said. “There’s a lot of engineering firsts on this thing.”

Chisholm is an early adopter drawn to the latest and greatest gadgetry. He’s been driving electric since 2017, first with a couple of small BMW i3 models, then to a Tesla Model 3 and eventually a Tesla Model Y. He’s been on the waiting list for a Cybertruck since 2019, three days after the pickup was announced.

“I’m a car enthusiast. I have a manual transmission, little German-British sports car,” he said, pointing to the blue MINI Cooper parked near his home. “So for me to give up the manual … EVs are so much fun, though. Once you get that instant torque, it’s like going from analog to digital.”

Even as a life-long northerner who knows how brutal a Minnesota winter can be, Chisholm hasn’t run into any problems with winter driving. He tells people the truth – the range drops with the cold, just like any other vehicle.

“They actually work quite well. Most people are just trying to frame the transition to an electric car in what they know, which is a gas engine. They concentrate on, how do you fuel it? Well, if you have an EV, you don’t really think about that anymore,” he said, adding that most EVs will direct the driver to the nearest charging station on longer road trips. “At home, you just plug it in overnight like your phone.”

Chisholm is one of the few Red Lake Electric Cooperative (RLEC) members who have taken advantage of the co-op’s off-peak EV charging program. As a voluntary participant, he charges his Cybertruck when electric demand is lower on the system – typically overnight. All he had to do was set up a 240-volt circuit in his garage. RLEC made the rest easy.

RLEC Manager of Member Services Kelli Brateng says her rural Minnesota territory isn’t quite a hot spot for EV activity (yet), but the off-peak charging program is slowly gaining traction.

“The members who do have it like it for the discounted kilowatt-hour (kWh) rate,” she said, explaining that the charger is metered separately at just 5.6 cents/kWh, which is approximately half the standard rate. RLEC also offers a 100% rebate on charging equipment installed on the off-peak program, and Chisholm was happy to take advantage of that as well.

Life electrified

If you take a look around the yard, you can tell the love of electric doesn’t end with EVs. Nearly everywhere you look you can find something battery powered. Chisholm’s garage is stocked with electric power tools, an inverter for camping, a misting fan, a snowblower, a push mower and zero-turn mower, an air compressor, a vacuum, a chainsaw, a leaf blower, a mini boiler, an e-bike – even a battery-powered hydrostatic tractor for his heavier yard maintenance needs.

When asked, Chisholm can’t tell you how many pieces of electric technology he has. But he can tell you why it’s his first choice.

“It’s convenient, clean. It’s not reliant on any other country. We can generate electricity from multiple sources here,” he said. “It’s kind of fun, too. Like I said, I’m a bit of a gadget freak, so I like learning about new technology like this. And it’s getting good and cheap, so why not?”

One could say the garage has been fully electrified. Now, Chisholm will be turning to his home, which he has been working to build himself for several years. The house is currently heated with propane, but he’s looking into electric options for the future, including heat pumps, sand-bed storage heat and fixed energy storage.

“He has so much enthusiasm when he talks about his electrification plans. If it’s new and electric, he’s going to try it,” Brateng said. Chisholm has told her he’s looking into a new induction range with a built-in 5-kWh battery so it can operate off a 120-volt wall outlet. “Although the range isn’t quite available for nationwide deliveries, you could tell the excitement Cameron had for the technology.”

And he’s willing to share that excitement. If you ever see him cruising Minnesota in his Cybertruck, wave him down for a chat. Goodness knows everyone else does.

“All the time,” he laughed. “It’s insane.”

MAIN IMAGE: Red Lake Electric Cooperative member Cameron Chisholm stands beside his new Tesla Cybertruck on his property outside of Thief River Falls, Minnesota. (Minnkota/Michael Hoeft)