The Electric Choremaster, a battery-powered prototype tractor designed for use around the farm, boasted quiet operation, no combustion gases and year-round easy starting with a simple flip of the switch. Plus, it could serve as an emergency standby power source.
Illinois Rural Electric News (now known as Illinois Country Living) reported about this electric tractor in October 1984. It was developed in partnership by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and South Dakota State University to serve as a guide for future agricultural electric vehicle development and for use by building contractors and electric utilities.
While the Electric Choremaster may not be found on farms or at electric co-ops today, more and more electric vehicles (EVs) can be spotted cruising down the road and parked at electric cooperatives across the country. As EVs become more popular and technology advances, electric co-ops have taken it upon themselves to educate consumer-members about them, for better or worse.
“We’ve always been proactive with new technologies,” says Jeff Lancaster, manager of member services at Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative (RECC). “Our members turn to the co-op when they’re unsure about something new. It’s similar to solar energy — people ask us if it’s a good investment. With EVs, it feels like we’re a little ahead of the curve, [since not everyone is] ready to buy quite yet. There’s a lot of information online, but they come to us when they want to find out more.”
Electric co-ops have a long history of member education. From the early days of rural electrification — from teaching about electric kitchen appliances, to the evolution of light bulbs (going from incandescent to CFLs and then to LEDs), to renewable energy — electric co-ops have always supported the communities they serve as energy advisers.
A twist on the classic car show
Bloomington-Normal is a hotspot for EV adoption, thanks in part to the presence of Rivian, a major EV manufacturer, as well as a Tesla dealership. As more EV models entered the market, the local electric cooperative, Corn Belt Energy Corporation (CBEC), seized the opportunity to promote this shift toward sustainability.
In conjunction with National Drive Electric Week (Sept. 27-Oct. 6), CBEC held its third Electric Vehicle Car Show on Sept. 27. This year’s event built on the successes of previous years, with more cars, more vendors and a host of activities for the entire family designed to educate the public on EVs.
Held in State Farm’s corporate parking lot, local car dealers bring in EVs to display, but the organizers of the event say it’s about learning, not selling. “We felt this was a good way to bring everyone together to look at the vehicles and ask questions without feeling like they’re at a dealership,” says Gary Hurley, CBEC’s director of marketing.
The event brings in more than 550 co-op and community members to learn about the more than 40 featured EVs, representing a variety of models and manufacturers. The event doesn’t just focus on cars. Local businesses participate by providing information on electric bikes, and tours of the area’s electric bus are also available.
“It’s really a community event,” says Megan Marlowe, the co-op’s manager of communications. “We have food trucks, games for kids and even face painting to make it a family-friendly experience.” There are also electricians present to talk about installing home-charging stations, solar companies sharing information, and vendors showcasing electric-powered farm and lawn equipment.
Marlowe explains, “With the cooperative’s focus on affordable energy, it’s important to promote technologies that help reduce costs for our members. Overnight charging, for example, can really help lower expenses, and it’s something we want to make sure people know about.”
“It’s about more than just the cars,” Hurley adds. “We want people to understand how to safely charge their vehicles and the best times to do so for maximizing the cost savings that come with owning an EV.”
While local dealerships bring in EVs for display, community members are also encouraged to showcase their own vehicles. “It’s like a modern take on a classic car show,” Marlowe says. “People bring lawn chairs, sit by their cars and share their experiences with others.”
A place to recharge
In 2020, electric co-ops in Wisconsin launched a network of public-use charging stations for EVs. Since then, chargEV has grown to include electric co-ops from nine states, powering more than 120 public chargers in co-op service territories. Four Illinois electric co-ops are part of that network, including JCE Co-op, Illinois Electric Cooperative, Coles-Moultrie Electric Cooperative and Egyptian Electric Cooperative Association (EECA).
“There has been a considerable rise in EVs on the roads in southern Illinois,” says Shane Hermetz, general manager and executive vice president of EECA. “Egyptian Electric leadership actively participates in local discussions about the future of EVs and energy-related issues.”
Last year, the co-op announced the installation of 11 ChargePoint Level 2 EV chargers at the new Walker’s Bluff Casino Resort to enhance the resort’s amenities and reaffirm the co-op’s commitment to community and sustainability. The chargers accommodate up to 22 EVs simultaneously.
“This advancement ensures visitors can explore southern Illinois with confidence, knowing they have access to reliable charging,” Hermetz adds. For a map of electric cooperative-owned charging stations across the nation, go to charge.coop.
While EECA encourages its members to embrace the benefits of EVs, it also teaches energy-saving practices, especially during peak demand times. “Consider scheduling your EV charging during off-peak hours, such as late evening or overnight,” Hermetz says. “This not only reduces pressure on the grid, but also helps you save on energy costs by decreasing demand.”
By using timers to schedule EV charging sessions, the load on the grid can be balanced more effectively, benefiting entire communities, particularly those with several EV owners. Hermetz adds that electric cooperatives have a responsibility to maintain the stability and sustainability of the electric grid. “While we anticipate continued growth in EV ownership, we must also anticipate and manage the associated energy demand.”
Recently, EECA was awarded $320,000 in grant funding from the Illinois EPA through its Driving a Cleaner Illinois Program. These funds will go toward adding DC fast charging to Walker’s Bluff and Southern Illinois University’s main campus.
“EECA is looking to expand EV charging in other areas that include the Southern Illinois Airport, the city of Carbondale and various SIU locations,” Hermetz says. “We view EV charging as an economic development tool to address recruitment and attract tourism to southern Illinois.”
EV homework
Several years ago, RECC purchased its first EV — a Volkswagen SUV — with the intention to educate. “The board of directors saw that EVs were coming, and it was in our best interest to learn about them and help educate our membership,” Lancaster explains.
At the time, options were limited. “There were only a couple of EV models on the market, and they were tiny. They didn’t even look like real cars — more like clown cars.” But, as more models became available and prices dropped, EVs became more practical for everyday use.
First, the co-op educated its employees and directors on how much electricity EVs require, charging times, and how they may affect the electric system and demand. Then, the co-op started a program that allowed its consumer-members to take the EV on a test drive.
“Our members were pretty excited when we first got our EV, and [they] drove it quite a bit,” Lancaster explains. He says interest has since waned. “Maybe the newness just wore off, or maybe it’s because of some negative stories about EVs — some true, some not.”
“I’m a realist about this stuff,” he continues. “When EVs first came out, people were excited — interested in something new. But there’s a problem with the way people talk about them. You’ve got some who say EVs are terrible, and others who say they’re better than they are. The truth is, they fall somewhere in the middle.”
He stresses that EVs are “nice, like a regular car,” but acknowledges that the reality isn’t as perfect as the marketing might suggest. Still, the shift toward EVs is undeniable, and co-ops like his are doing their part to educate the public.
He says one of the biggest misconceptions about EVs is that they’ll overwhelm the power grid. “People were saying we’d have to upgrade all the power lines, but that’s not really true,” he says. “An EV uses less electricity than switching a home from gas to electric heat, and we see that all the time.” He explains it is only a problem if a large group of people switch over at once. The power grid is upgraded continuously and will slowly grow to meet the EV demand, similar to how power was provided to millions of new air conditioners years ago.
At RECC, Lancaster says energy consumption per household has actually decreased over the past decade due to the adoption of more efficient technologies like LED lights and better HVAC units. The challenge, he explains, is more about planning than capacity. For example, if a fleet of EVs at a police department or school starts charging all at once, that’s when there might be a problem. “But individual homes? Not so much.”
As for the future, he acknowledges that there are still hurdles to overcome, particularly with how states will adjust to declining gas tax revenues as more people adopt EVs. “Right now, EV owners pay higher registration fees to make up for not paying gas taxes,” Lancaster says. In Illinois, that’s $251 per year. “But, as EVs become more common, that fee [might be raised] to make up for the lost gas tax revenue.”
Despite these concerns, he remains optimistic about the future of EVs. “It’s clear that EVs are here to stay, and whether people love them or hate them, they’ll be part of our transportation system moving forward,” Lancaster says.
