Events & Testimonials

Sioux Valley Energy hold an annual EV Expo event where members and the general public have the opportunity to check out several EV models, talk to EV owners, and even test drive one. In addition to EVs, E-bikes along with electric lawn and yard tools are also showcased. Watch for more details on this year’s fall event!

There are various EV owner groups that you can connect with on social media and in person. The South Dakota Tesla Owners Club' is an example and can be found at the link below.

Here we are with our cars – a Hyundai Kona Electric and a Tesla Model 3. Over the last couple years we’ve become an Electric Vehicle (EV) family and we were thrilled to find the great programs that Sioux Valley Energy offers. These programs include financial assistance for the installation of home chargers as well as a time-of-day use plan that allows us to charge our cars over night at a much lower cost. We started with EV’s for both fuel cost savings as well as for doing our part for the environment. We quickly learned that EV’s also have a lot of power and provides a fun ride! We’ve driven between California and South Dakota a couple times and have found that there’s sufficient charging infrastructure in place to make the trip without issue. While not as easy as to find a charging station as finding a gas station road trips are very doable. And finding where to charge adds a bit of fun to the planning process. Unless we’re on a road trip we’re always able to charge at home as we typically get over 250 miles range out of each of the cars.

Mike and Lori N.

I drive our Tesla whenever I sub at Ellsworth Public School, to get groceries, dr. appts. etc. I love driving it. I use the cruise control and auto-drive quite often when I go over 10 miles away. I can turn onto a highway, put it in cruise and it will get up to speed automatically and stay at the cruise speed. And, of course, we do not have to stop at a gas station to fill up - that happens overnight in our garage. Sioux Valley Energy’s time of use rate benefits everyone, plus our tracking photovoltaic grid-feed system feeds back energy from the sun during the day.

Ron and Jan S.

We bought our Tesla Model 3 in 2018 and love the car. It was important to us to be able to also conserve energy so we signed up for the REC with Sioux Valley Energy when we purchased our car. Having an electric car has been fun and a learning experience. We drove from Sioux Falls to Raleigh, North Carolina last summer and used the super charging system along the way. We did experience a bit of “range anxiety” being new to driving an electric car but it really worked out well. With an electric car you have to do a bit more planning because charging stations can be limited in some areas. Tesla has their own set of charging stations but I’m also able to charge using other public stations. Non-Tesla charging stations may take a bit longer to charge the car so you need to know your car’s limits. Charging and driving an electric vehicle across country can be more relaxing because it forces you to get out of the car and take a break from driving. Most stations are located at restaurants, shopping centers and hotels. Some are even located at gas stations. A plus for an electric vehicle is not only that you’re using clean energy but you’re also saving in other maintenance things-no oil changes, no tune-ups, no “engine maintenance”. Signing up for the REC through Sioux Valley Energy has also made us more aware of energy costs in general and has changed the way we do things at home. We now do laundry and run the dishwasher during non-peak times. This change was easy to do but did require us to be more cognizant of doing a full load of dishes or laundry and to plan ahead. It’s been an easy transition having an electric car and knowing that we are helping the environment and still having fun driving!

Wayne and Deb C.

Our home is on the Time of Use (TOU) rate program through Sioux Valley Energy and it’s great for us. It’s easy to schedule charging of the electric vehicle when off-peak hours begins. We’ve been able to shift other high energy appliances such as laundry and dishwashing to off-peak as well. So, we’re saving around $10 a month on TOU,” said Dustin Jansick. He added, “The TOU program is worth trying even if you don’t have an electric vehicle. Before fully committing, Sioux Valley Energy allows you to try it for three months and you pay whichever rate was lower; the normal flat rate or TOU.

The biggest pro is the cost to operate is much lower than a gasoline vehicle. Maintenance is very minimal since there’s fewer moving parts; so, no oil changes, fuel filters, or spark plugs to replace. Because electricity is less expensive than gasoline, it’s roughly 40% cheaper to run the vehicle, so I’m saving a few hundred dollars per year as well. Also, EVs are faster, cleaner, quieter, and overall just a blast to drive.

To keep the battery and the inside of the vehicle warm, the range drops about 15% to 20%. So, if the range is 240 miles per full charge, it drops to about 200 miles in the winter. Another con is that it takes longer to charge than to pump gas. At home it’s typically done overnight so it doesn’t matter as much, but on the road the fast chargers can take 40 minutes. But at least you don’t have to stand out in the cold to pump gas in the winter.


Dustin J.

I’ve owned my 2018 Chevy Bolt for almost 2 years now. I installed a level 2 charger at home within the first couple of weeks (the SVE rebate was a nice surprise), set my car to charge to 80% capacity, and have never had issues with range anxiety. In the summer I can easily drive over 200 miles on a single charge, in the winter, that drops to around 140. I drive about 1,000 miles a month, and average 3.9 miles per kWh. When you do the math, that’s $14.95 a month for fuel, and that’s because I signed up for time of use rates through Sioux Valley Energy. I programmed my car to only charge during off peak hours to take advantage of the reduced rate. Time really is money at our house! And speaking of time, my 100% electric car actually saves me time. I no longer stop at gas stations to fuel up. With winter coming, that’s a big deal to me. Bonus, I also don’t need oil changes.

Susan K.

As the transportation sector emerges into the future, electric vehicles will be a big part of it. We like to be forward thinkers and in part for this reason, we chose to purchase a fully electric vehicle. Charging time for alternating current (AC) With 9.6 kW is 10.5 hours; charging time for direct current (DC) with 50kW is 93 minutes; charging time for direct current (DC) with maximum charging power (Fast charge) is 22.5 minutes. EV’s also have additional benefits to owners that include lower costs to operate, less noise, and less pollution. As prices come down, EV’s will become more ‘of the norm’.

When building our new home, by design, we chose to install more energy efficient options. Items that included a more efficient hot water heater, furnace and a/c unit, LED lighting, a smart thermostat and 2 electric vehicle hookups just to name a few.

It was also an added benefit that SVE offers a variety of rebate incentives to their customers that are quick and easy to apply for. For the EV, by using off peak rates for charging, the cost savings (which is approx 1/2), when charging the vehicle makes it more affordable.

We encourage anyone with the resources to embrace EV’s. It’s one step of many we must consider to take towards a cleaner environment.

Ed L. S.

We are happy that SVE incentivizes EV technology. We had planned for our garage to be "EV ready", and learning that SVE was offering a rebate to pre-wire new construction for EV made the decision to do so a no-brainer. We currently do not own an electric vehicle, but having our home/garage "EV ready" will allow us for an easy transition to a future EV.

Tobias M.

Contact our Energy Services Department at 800-234-1960 to schedule a test drive!