The Forest County Potawatomi Community is celebrating the opening of a new Electric Vehicle Charging Station at Stone Lake near Crandon.
Four covered parking spots with two charging stations are now operational at Fireside Market on Highway 8 in Forest County. It can charge up to four vehicles at a time.
Potawatomi Ventures is the economic development arm of the Forest County Potawatomi Community and manages this and the other Fireside Market locations for the tribe.
“Having this available here in the Northwoods, and saying, ‘Look, this is something that matters. This is important to our community and to tourism,’ so we're making that investment here,” said Potawatomi Ventures CEO Kip Ritchie.
The station was funded through the National Electric Vehicle Instructure grant program administered by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
Potawatomi Ventures says the Potawatomi Community is the first Native American tribe in the United States to receive and implement a NEVI grant for a project on trust land.
“It's another way that Forest County Potawatomi is a leader in economic development. I’m just proud of that,” said Ritchie.
Some tribes, like the Oneida Nation, have received NEVI funding and working toward building charging stations. Other tribes have been turning to different funding sources.
While people wait for their vehicle to charge, they can stop at the Fireside Market convenience store. The Forest County Potawatomi Community Center, museum and library, health clinic, and tribal government offices are all within a 10-minute walk. There’s also a new walking and biking path along that section of Highway 8.
Potawatomi Chairman Brooks Boyd says installing the EV charging station shows how the tribe stays innovative and keeps up with the times.
“It tells our visitors that they are welcome here, and we're ready for the future,” said Boyd. “At the same time, it reinforces our commitment to honoring Mother Earth with clean energy solutions, while creating long-term value for the community.”
EVs are considered a key part of climate solutions. On average across all U.S. states, driving an EV reduces CO2 emissions by 66% compared with a gasoline-powered vehicle.
It’s estimated there will be 33 million EVs on roads in the U.S. by 2030. The National Laboratory of the Rockies says there needs to be roughly one million more public charging ports like the one Potawatomi Ventures built to support those EVs.
“We saw it as just an excellent opportunity to grow on what we have with this convenience store and what we offer to the community,” said Ritchie.
There are more than 40,000 registered electric vehicles in Wisconsin.
WisDOT Secretary Kristina Boardman says the department wants to see more charging stations in northern Wisconsin to support residents and the tourism industry here.
“We're seeing the number of EVs go up every year in Wisconsin, and again, big tourism state, people want to know that they can charge when they're here, so it's so important to keep this moving,” said Boardman.
The WisDOT has been working to create an alternative fuel corridor throughout the state. To date, WisDOT has awarded about $37 million for 78 projects under the NEVI program.
Locally, Snow’s Family Market in Mercer, Culver’s in Rhinelander, the Travelodge in Merrill, the Kwik Trip in Arbor Vitae, and the Prentice Truck and Travel Center have also received funding for an EV charging station through the NEVI grant program.
WisDOT still has about $40 million in NEVI funding to award. The grant application period for the next round is open now through July 24, 2026. Funding covers up to 80% of eligible costs. Prospective grantees are required to provide a minimum 20% match of the eligible costs from non-federal sources.
